WHEN THE DARKNESS HOWLS
by yuyu-inuyashaluva
Summary: With the sweet smell of his partner drifting into his nose,a gun in his hands,a creature of the darkness ready to be slain,his body shook with the need to do something.To kill or run, have sex, something.He couldn't hold it in any longer...He attacked.
1. FULL MOON

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor do I own the Inuyasha characters and storyline.**_

_**WHEN THE DARKNESS HOWLS**_

CHAPTER ONE: FULL MOON

The night was still.

The trees rustled with the light wind as they softly passed through their leaves and the air smelled of sweet sap, mingled with the scent of slightly wet trees. The air was sweet and fresh, perfect for a nice stroll in the park with a loved one or with a close friend. And, to be honest, many were already doing that. The community park which was right at the end of the forest was filled with late night partners, relaxing on the park's bench and strolling quietly on the path that lead to the dense forest.

The moon was sitting quietly in the sky, full and gleaming with all of its glory and calling to all of its watchers. Though beautiful it was, it was also very dangerous. The full gleaming brightness of the moon called to the vilest and darkness creatures there were. They were what made simple things like the moon hated and feared. The creatures came out on time like this; it was their favorite night.

It wasn't the only night they came out. But it was the night when they were hungry for fresh flesh, hungry to taste and feel the sweetness of hot blood to the extreme. They savored in the glory of how quickly they could tear apart a human beings body; liked the fact that they held all the power when they chased their prey. But it was foolish and naïve citizens that made it so easy for them to kill and kill so easily and effortlessly.

That was why they needed to be protected. They unknowingly put themselves right into the hands of the enemy and they had no way of knowing. That's why they were there, running silently through the forest at night, their weapons fastened securely in their hands and by their sides. They were there to protect them-the innocents. Because if they didn't, who else would?

They ran through the forests, being as quiet as possible, making their way to the park. Upon coming closer, they could make out a cute couple, cuddling and kissing as if the world were about to end. They slowed their running, eying the couple as they crept closer, hidden by the huge oak tree a couple yards away. There were two of them, a male and a female, and skillfully, they prepared their weapons, ready for the battle that was about to commence.

They continued to watch the couple, and the male made a sound of disgust when the man slowly crept his hand down his girlfriends' blouse. The female, who was watching intently, crept her hand to his shoulder and lightly dug her nails into his skin, a silent command. 'Shut up.' The male understood but was quite pissed that she was giving orders, but he made no other sound. But yet, with the full moon so bright in the sky, he couldn't help but began to fidget a couple of seconds later.

He could feel it. That raging feeling that pumped through his blood every time there was a full moon. He needed to move, to run free and allow the warm wind to whip his hair. His legs were tense, ready for the battle but crying out to be able to sprint away and howl up to its God which was the moon. He brought his hand up to his head and drew his clawed hand through his dark long hair.

Moments later, he shifted so most of his weight was on the balls of his feet. Then, he was shifting again, his hands resting on the dirt ground, his knees digging into it as well; he was on all fours, as if he was a dog himself. The women next to him noticed this and rolled her eyes in annoyance. If he kept this up, he was bound to make a sound and ruin everything.

She knew what was wrong with him, but if he jeopardized this hunt…she would kill him. Her thoughts were cut short when she felt his clawed hand rest on her thigh and then slowly begin to caress. At first, she ignored him; used to his behavior, she was sure he would stop soon when he got no response, just like he usually did. But, because it was the full moon, and because that instinctive feeling was pulsing through his veins, he didn't stop.

In fact, his hand raised higher, stopping at the juncture where her upper thigh and hip met. She couldn't help it when her breath hitched in her throat, and her heart sped up. She heard him take a deep breath, and, even in the darkness, she could see him smile. Her hand instantly went over his to stop it from moving any further and she dug her nails into his skin, leaving scrapes of torn flesh, she hoped.

His hand jerked away and she had to suppress a smirk. Good. He deserved it, acting in such a manner when they were on a mission. But when a couple of minutes passed, even she was begging to get tired of waiting. They've been in hiding for nearly a half a hour and still, nothing! She turned to her partner and silently and slowly, reached over and tapped his nose.

It was quite funny actually, but it was the only way to state her question. 'Was their enemy still there?' He took her hand from his face and gently squeezed it, giving her a silent 'Yes'. If it was still there, why was it taking so long to come out?

Her partner's mind was going about the same lines. If it was there, ready and hungry, why wasn't it attacking? He knew where it was, silently sitting back and watching from the huge amount of bushes behind the bench where the couple once was. He took a deep breath, he was tired of waiting. As soon as the couple made it clear out of the park, he was attacking.

His eyes glanced at the retreating couple. Almost…his body tensed, ready to sprint, while his hand moved silently to his belt, unfastening his gun. The safety was already off; he wasn't the kind of man to have accidents in battle. With his weapon held firmly in his hand, he raised it slightly, ready to attack. He knew that the creature was ready too.

It knew they were there, just ready to kill it. But it would not allow them to stop its bloodlust. He paused when he heard his partner take a deep breath. Is ears swung to the direction of their enemy, and his eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in reorganization that the battle was about to start when he saw that bushes were rustling and was emitting a loud growl.

Then everything went quiet. He sensed his partner tense, and in a second, she had her weapon in her hand. He would have smiled at how quick she was beautiful; one of the reasons she was his partner, but he didn't have time for this, the battle he waited for almost an hour to begin was starting, and he was ready for it. He felt the rush of anticipation gush through his veins.

No one but him could understand the power he felt when there was a full moon and he was out there, right under it with a weapon in his hands. No one could feel what it felt like to have that rush of power and need to be free, run so violently through your veins that you would think you were going to burst. And right then, with the sweet smell of his partner drifting into his nose, a fully loaded weapon in his hands and a creature of the darkness ready to be slain, his body was shaking so badly with the will and need to do something. Either to kill or run or have sex-something. But right now, that one creature was available and he couldn't hold it in any longer.

He attacked.

The exchange of understanding between himself and the creature was so quick, that as soon as he lunged, ready for battle, so did it. He lunged at an inhuman speed, his gun held right in front of him. And so did the creature, leaping from behind the bushes with great strength it was almost frightening. It jumped, in one great leap towards him, its claws extended from its grand paws, sharp and wanting to tear some flesh apart.

Its wide long mouth was open wide in a snarl, hot, dripping saliva was oozing from his mouth, so baldy wanting to taste flesh. This, this is what the full moon could do. The man jerked out of the way before the huge creature could make contact with him. It landed with a loud 'Thud' when its massive paws hit the ground. It snarled viciously when it realized its prey had escaped him.

His female partner ran over from their hiding place for the first time. She stood next to him, her face determined and her gun ready to shoot. The creature stood about a yard away from them, snarling and stalking on all fours, its saliva dripping on the floor, making a soft hissing noise. The female spoke to her partner, never taking her eyes off of the great beast in front of her. "Why the hell didn't you tell me you were going to attack?"

"You're a smart girl, you would have figured it out," he replied. He was also stalking, as was the creature. He couldn't help it; already the kill was taking too long for him. He glowered at the creature, daring it to come near him. And, of course, it did, in a couple of big steps, it was all over them. The partners had to quickly split up, one going left, the other, right.

They quickly regained their bearings and turned to the creature once again, barely, dodging another attack. She turned her gun to the creature and took two shots quickly. She missed both.

"Great shooting!" her partner mocked at her.

"Kiss off, Inuyasha, I don't have time for this!" she screamed, once again shooting at the creature. It was so fast!

Inuyasha shot at it and it turned its attention from her to him, growling before it started to run towards him. Inuyasha stayed calm, pointing his gun right at the creature. When she saw this, she stared to run towards it…it was really a shame that it turned its back to her. She ran and at the same time, took some shots, one missed; the other went right in its back.

The creature staggered and turned its huge head to her so fast that she saw spit flying everywhere. "Come on!" she coaxed it. "Come get me if you want me!"

She locked eyes with the creature, its black cold depths focusing on her and only her. She took the time to shoot at its moment of stupor. But, to her irritation, it quickly dodged, jumping to the side and bouncing off tree trunks, using that as momentum to launch itself at her. But she was ready with her gun. She watched as it leapt towards her, its whole body outstretched in the air, about the size of a small school bus.

She waited for it; as soon as it came close to her she would take out her sword and smash it into its stomach before it even had a clue. But, over its shoulder she could see Inuyasha running towards it, his mouth open in a snarl and his eyes blazing. "Kagome, you stupid bitch! Move!"

Goodness, she hated the full moon. If he came any closer, he would ruin her plan. "Inuyasha, don't! I have everything under-Aghack!"

With her millisecond of defenselessness, that was all the creature needed. He pounced on her, his massive paws, as big as a television coming down on her small shoulders and pinning her to the ground, her gun being flung from her hands. She hit the ground with the massive creature hovering over her. Her breath was knocked from her body, leaving her dazed and her eyes blurry.

The great beast hovered over her, it's stank, hot breath blowing all over her face so hard, her bangs flew up. Its saliva dripped from its still open mouth onto the ground on the side of her head. She was so thankful that it didn't touch her face. She looked up at it, her still blurry vision making out something huge over her. '_Why hasn't it killed me yet?'_

Suddenly, the loud sound of bullets went blasting through her head and the beast over hear suddenly ducked, its black, thick fur brushing against her face and body, causing her to shiver in disgust. Suddenly, she was snatched up by massive paws, her body being pressed up against a hairy body. Her eyes made out some trees, then the sky. She could feel her feet dangling and realized, to her horror, she was moving pretty fast, and with the vile creature.

Her head was killing her and the fur that brushed against her face made her sneeze. '_Goodness! It's carrying me!'_ With her vision still blurry, she tried desperately too reach into her holster and get her extra gun, or even retrieve her short steel blade. But every time she tried to move her arms, blinding white pain shot through her body and pulsed through her head.

"Kagome! Baby, are you okay? Kagome, get out your fucking gun!"

'_Was that Inuyasha? Doesn't he know I'm trying to get my gun, the fucking idiot! But…but I can't…'_

Suddenly, she felt her whole body jerk, along with the creature that was holding her. She heard it growl loudly, and heard another in return. _'Was that Inuyasha?'_ Then she was on the ground, she could feel the cool earth beneath her back. She blinked and opened her eyes, focusing them on the creature above her. It stared back at her, growling. It shifted slightly, giving her a chance to see behind it

And there, she saw Inuyasha pick himself up from the floor and start to run towards her. "Inuyasha…" she still couldn't see well, but she could make him out perfectly. And the thing that scared her the most was his eyes. They weren't the normal midnight black, but a startling gold that held so much rage it made her shiver. They were so bright and so…scary. It was the only thing she could see…that gold that held raging fire. "Inuyasha…don't…"

Inuyasha ran towards them. One thing on his mind. Kill. To kill, to kill, kill, kill…kill. He saw gold, and he felt his claws twist and grow longer and he felt the beams of the moon beat down on his back. He growled a loud growl that rumbled through the creature. He would kill it for even daring to touch his Kagome. He would slaughter it, tear it to little pieces and throw it away.

The creature watched, as if unconcerned by the raging Inuyasha, making his way towards him with such speed. He looked down at the human girl below him. Kagome looked up at him. And then, the most horrifying thing in her life happened. The creature _talked_ to her….

"I want to kill you, but those are not my orders," it growled, its lips not being able to move properly with the words, but the jaw itself moved, sending spittle flying everywhere. Kagome's eyes widened. Suddenly, every bit of pain in her body became intensified, and she cried out in pain when she realized his massive paws were on her chest, cutting off her breathing. She couldn't even get it off because of the disability of her hands.

"You…you can…talk…" she gasped out, her lungs burning.

"Yes," it growled. It leaned closer, "I've been waiting for you two…" then it swung its huge head around and in one big sweep, swung its hand behind it and sent Inuyasha flying into a tree. It snapped in two and Inuyasha slumped down to the floor, knocked out. Kagome's eyes widened in terror when she saw that the top of the tree cracked fully and landed on top of Inuyasha.

"No!" she choked out, before the pressure on her chest was intensified.

"Yes…!" the creature growled again. "Master has waited so long for this. I'll bring you first, then him." He said, referring to Inuyasha. "The littlie half-breed will be no trouble coming with me."

"How…can you talk…?"

"Something I've picked up…now, Master awaits my return."

Kagome blinked. "Well…if you…think you're going….to bring me…to your Master…you've got another…thing coming…you fucking hairy ass werewolf!" And with great strength, she raised her feet and stomped it on the floor, causing her small metal knife to stick out the heel of her boot. Then, with a cry of pain, she wrapped her leg around its huge waist and brought the heel of her foot down into its side.

The creature instantly jerked away from her, rolling and hissing in pain "Silver," she muttered. "Never lets you down." But, in the process, its claws scratched along her stomach, piercing her skin... She wasted no time rolling away from it the greatest distance possible. From the corner of her eye, she could make out the tree over Inuyasha moving slightly. Good. He could do the rest.

"Inuyasha," she screamed. "Inuyasha! Get your stupid ass up. Now! It's-" she rolled away quickly when the werewolf tried to leap on her. She looked around frantically for her gun. But what would be the use; her arms were hurting to much to hold it. "Inuyasha!" She looked over and saw that the tree was still over him. "Shit." She needed something to protect her but with her body in so much pain… "Uggh!" she screamed when the creature landed on top of her again.

"My…you're a hard one to keep. Now I know why Master wants you so much." It said to her.

"Let. Me. Go."

The sudden crack of wood caught both of their attention, and they both looked up. But saw nothing. The werewolf growled and turned its attention back to her, big mistake. Inuyasha attacked. The move was unexpected, even to the werewolf. So when it was suddenly lifted into the air, and thrown thirty feet away, it was quite surprised.

Kagome gasped when she felt the air being sucked back into her lungs. She felt breathing on her face and looked up into bright golden eyes. "Inuyasha…?" He growled at her, a growl she understood, before everything went black.

The feeling of something soft and wet on her neck brought Kagome to the land of consciousness.

She couldn't help but turn her head towards the feeling of that wet something that made her feel so good. She suddenly felt a presence hovering over her. And she tensed, thinking she was still in some type of danger, she tried to roll over but something grabbed her shoulders to keep her in place. She immediately hissed in pain. The hands instantly left her, followed by a small whining noise and a lick to her ear.

Her body relaxed, knowing the being was familiar. After a pause, she felt the soothing comfort of the wet thing on her neck. She swallowed a moan of pleasure and tilted her head towards the feeling, hearing a soft growl of approval.

"Inuyasha…?" Her answer was a soft bite to her ear. She sighed a breath of relief when she realized it was him and he was still alive and safe. And then, pulsing anger at what happened. With all of her strength, she rolled away from him. "You idiot!" she seethed. She opened her eyes fully, ignoring the pain she still had in her arms and stomach. She angled her head to look at him and saw that he was simply staring at her openly, his head cocked to the side and his eyes flickering between amber gold and midnight black with his ears flickering with every small sound.

"What?" His voice was low, husky, and a soft growl all in one.

"What? What! Is that all you can say?" she yelled at him. She saw both of his ears flatten against his head. Good, he deserved this. "I tell you that I have everything under control and what do you do, cause me to lose my attention towards the damn werewolf. Result: two dislocated shoulders and some mean scratches on my fucking stomach! Boy, you better be glad that I can't move my arms or I'd-"

"Bitch, shut the fuck up!"

His voice came so loud and so close to her ear that she couldn't help but jump at the sudden sound. She blinked and looked up at him and her heart beat faster in slight fear when she saw the gold bleeding into his eyes fully. Great, she got him angry. But what did she expect to happen? For him not to yell back? But she didn't care, it was true what she just said and she was tired of him always taking the entire rap in battles. She was tired of being saved. He wasn't the only best slayer in the Dark Slayer Organization, and she was tired of everyone treating him like he was.

Who else was out there every night fighting and risking their lives for people they didn't even know? It was her, Sango, Miroku _and _him. Not Inuyasha by himself. Just because he could smell a couple miles away, had ears on top of his head and had claws, it made him no more important than the rest of them. And she was not going to let him yell at her like that, dislocated arm or not, golden eyes or not.

"Don't call me bitch, you fucking asshole! You have some nerve even talking to me after what you did. First you just up and attack without telling me! Me! Your _partner!_ Then you distract me-"

She was cut off when Inuyasha suddenly was crouched on his hunches over her. He suddenly grabbed hold of both of her shoulders, and in one swift and smooth movement, jerked her shoulders up, snapping it back in place. Kagome's whole body became ridge, her eyes getting wide, then, she led out a blood curling scream that was cut short by Inuyasha's hand slamming down on her mouth.

Kagome chose to bite his hand as hard as she could, sending his arm jerking away.

"Bitch!" Inuyasha cursed as he slapped his injured hand to his chest. "What was that for?"

"For almost jeopardizing the fucking mission, that's what!" Kagome yelled at him. She slowly eased herself up off of the ground with wobbly movements and turned to face his cold amber/midnight gaze. She rolled her shoulders, not even wincing at the dull pain that was coming from her shoulder.

"What do you mean by jeopardizing the mission? If I recall, I saved your ass from being slaughtered!"

"If you hadn't distracted me, then that wouldn't have happened! Goodness, always trying to take all the glory…" She muttered the last part under her breath. But, of course with Inuyasha having his ears, he heard every bit of it and was in front of her in an instant, his clawed hands holding her wrist in a vice grip. She tried to tug away from him but he only held her tighter, turning the grip almost painful.

His face was close to hers, his nose almost brushing hers and his eyes full amber, blazing with pure anger. When he spoke, she was actually, quite pissed off that it managed to send a shiver of slight fear down her back…as well as pleasure. She hated when he was this close. It always seemed to have some unwanted effect on her, which she had no control of. She could feel her heart rate suddenly explode in rabid beats and her breath was coming out in ragged breaths and she could feel the blood rush to her face.

She had to control herself or else he would know. And she couldn't let that happen. Not on the full moon, he would probably jump her, what with all of his feelings and acts intensified on this night. She looked him square in the eyes when he spoke, his voice low and a deep growl that showed how angry he really was.

"You fucking bitch, if you think that I'm in this shit, risking my life for people who can burn in hell for all I care, just to get credit for something I don't want, you are sadly mistaken. I don't do this for glory, I don't do it for money, I do it because I _want_ to do it and I don't want you or any other fucking person telling me why I do what I do. Understand?"

He spoke calm and that's what scared her the most, but she would be damned before she showed it, even just a little, which would diffidently boost his ego. "Let go!" she commanded, trying to get out of his grip.

His grip tightened. "Understand?"

She purposely didn't answer his question and brought her knee up to his groin, hard. He jerked away from her, howling in pain. Kagome immediately stumbled away from him and took out her phone from her pocket, wincing when her hand brushed against her stomach. She quickly dialed Miroku's number. She waited through three rings before he picked up.

"Hello?" his voice said into the phone.

"It's Kagome," she said breathlessly.

"Did you guys take care of the werewolf? Sango and I just took out a vampyer a couple hours ago. It's taking you rather long to get the job done this time. Is everything going well?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Look, Miroku, I'm tired as hell, was almost killed, had a werewolf talk to me and I've got scratches all over me probably dripping blood, and an Inuyasha yelling and lusting after me. Get your ass down here and bring the clean up crew and the 'flash', just in case."

"Wait! Kagome! What was that about the werewolf tal-?"

She hung up on him. And almost immediately, she was tackled from the back. She landed on her stomach with Inuyasha on her back.

"Fuck, get off, Inuyasha, I'm not in the mood for this!" she yelled at him, the side of her face in the dirt.

"That was very naughty of you, Kagome, kicking me like that…" his breath brushed against her neck and ear and she shivered. "I think I'll have to get you back for that." His head dipped down and licked the shell of her ear. He growled approvingly when he noticed her scent spiked. He pressed against her harder, allowing her to feel just how …happy he was. He heard her quick intake of breath and smirked against her neck. "You know…maybe if you were always this submissive, you would already be my bitch." He licked her ear again.

Suddenly, he was on his back, Kagome standing over him and glaring. "Why do you try to turn our bickering into a make out session!"

"Why do you always enjoy it!" he shot back

She turned away, desperate to hide her blush and ignored him. But then, realization hit her: the werewolf. She turned around and bumped right into his chest. She tried to stumble back but his powerful arms went around her waist and slammed her against his rock hard chest. She winced because of her wounded stomach and Inuyasha instantly noticed.

His quickly let her go and brought his arms to her shoulders, holding her still when she tried to move away. "You're hurt," was all he said. Kagome was slightly taken back by how soft and concerned his vice became. But she shrugged it off, as well as him.

"I'm fine," she muttered as she stepped back and looked into his face. "Inuyasha, something important and, quite impossible happened tonight." He frowned at her, but made no move to interrupt. She continued, "Okay, when the werewolf would was on top of me…" Inuyasha growled loudly. "Shut up and have your little hissy fit after I'm finished talking. Anyway, when it was on top of me, right before it slammed you into a tree…it…"

Inuyasha's ear twitched. "Sango and Miroku are here." Kagome sighed but looked down the dark path to see Miroku and Sango coming up, along with a couple of men by their sides. "Good, they brought the clean-up crew. I hope they brought a lot of plastic bags…there're going to need it."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "How many pieces did you chop this one in?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Not a lot."

"Where is it, anyway, Inuyasha?"

He pointed up. "In the tree right above you…most of it, anyway."

Kagome looked at him in shock. "The tree! How the hell did you get it up there?"

"Damn thing followed me up there, so I killed it up there."

Kagome just shook her head and began walking over to the rest of her team that were now closer. When she reached them, Miroku was the first to speak.

"Kagome, I need to know if what you said on the phone was a joke or not." Kagome rolled her eyes. Of course what she said was the truth. Why the fuck would she lie about something like that? But…knowing Miroku, he just wanted to make sure before he rushed into things…he was cautious when needed and that's what Kagome liked about him.

He was a handsome man, and her best friend. He was tall, and with his sweet smile that showed his pearly whites and with his charms and womanizing skills, he was the man of any women's dreams. His hair that was black and short, reaching a couple of inches away from his shoulders, was always worn in a small pony-tail at the nape of his neck, leaving his bangs free to hang in his violet hued eye as they often did.

"Miroku, of course it wasn't a joke, you ass!"

He whistled, shifting his gun at his waist. "Someone had a bad fight," he said, hinting.

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha who was pacing under the same tree the werewolf was in. "You don't know the half of it."

Kagome waved a hand in the air. "I'll tell you when we pack up everything. One thing at a time..."

Miroku nodded, but gave Kagome a concerned look when she held a hand to her stomach. "You okay, Kags?"

Kagome smirked up at him when he used her old nickname that only he used. She stepped forward and ruffled his already messy hair. "I'm okay, Roku. Don't worry about me," she said tenderly. He nodded, but still gave worried looks to her stomach.

"We'll have that cleaned up when we reach home."

Kagome could only nod. He offered her his hand and together they walked over to the rest of the crew, just in time to see the big werewolf that was stuck in the tree to fall out, rattling the ground. Everyone gathered around it, observing it. And, as usual, the clean up crew started to take pictures of it to go to the lab. Sango was the first to speak. "God! It's huge! I don't think I've seen one this big before."

"Look at its teeth. There're as big as a size 14 pair of sneakers," Miroku commented.

Its mouth was still wide open, drool leaking to the floor beneath it, along with all of the blood that was oozing out of its deep wounds.

"Goodness, Inuyasha. You really did a number on this one," Sango said.

"It almost got Kagome," Inuyasha said as if that would explain everything. And to the crew, it did.

"This is the biggest I've ever seen," Kagome commented. "Faster, too. When I tried to shoot it, it dodged before I had a chance. It would have killed me if it weren't for Inuyasha and that blade hidden in my foot." As soon as those words were said, Kagome felt guilty. She already cussed him out for distracting her, when he saved her life. Even though he distracted her, he did it because he was worried about her. She glanced at him across the group and looked at him with his arms crossed over his chest and looking intently at the dead werewolf. She also noticed that he was shifting from one foot to another. He was fidgety, again.

"I told you that switch blade in your heel would help you out," Sango said with pride.

"Let's go, the clean up crew needs to do their job," Inuyasha said, stepping away from the creature. The rest did as well, because it was starting to emit smells.

"You know," Sango started.

But then Inuyasha's ear twitched and he cursed. "Someone's coming."

Miroku took a small metal devise out of his pocket. It was small, circular shaped with four buttons running along its sides. He also took out a pair of black sunglasses and waited for the person to come up the path. "I got this," Miroku said as he patiently waited.

"I hope they don't run away," Kagome commented. "Thank goodness I told you to bring the 'flash'."

Sango nodded. "It only makes it that much harder."

Then a man emerged from around the bend of the path and began to walk towards them with a bag in his hand. He slowed down causally when he noticed the group. He continued to walk further but then his eyes traveled to the creature on the floor and he stopped dead. His eyes first showed confusion, then shock. As he gazed longer at it, his mouth wide open, he dropped his bag and took a step back. His bag fell from his hands without a sound.

"Oh…my…god…! What the hell is…Jesus…!" he took another step back.

"Please don't run, please don't run…" Miroku chanted quietly, as everyone else, including the clean up crew, watched the man with curiosity. They always liked to see the different reactions of people when they came across the creatures.

He ran.

"I hate when they run," Miroku commented. Then he was running at full speed to the man. When the man saw he was being chased, he sped up. But he was no match for the slayer, Miroku, when he was tackled to the ground, not far from the spot where he dropped his bag. Miroku quickly straddled his legs and adjusted his glasses. He quickly positioned the devise in front of the man's eyes, and with one quick switch, he pressed the yellow button and a bright light flashed in the man's face. And that's why it was called the 'flash'. The man was instantly frozen.

Miroku got off of him and stood up and dusted his shirt off. "Okay," he said, looking down to the man. "You left your house a while back and decided to go to a friend's house for a late movie. You got to the park and then…then…" Miroku faded off, having no story to tell the man. He looked to the rest of his crew, but they just shrugged. Miroku looked around before his eyes landed on the man's bag. He quickly opened it and saw a container of ice-cream. "Ice cream?" Miroku questioned. He opened it up and saw it was vanilla. He made a face. He turned back to the man. "You got to the park and then realized you forgot to bring the ice cream with you."

"He already has ice cream, dim-wit," Inuyasha pointed out.

Miroku glared and then dumped the whole container of vanilla ice-cream on the floor. "Strawberry. You were going to buy strawberry ice cream and then go to your friend's house." He walked over to the man, lifted him up with a few grunts, and turned him to the direction of the way he just came. Miroku quickly pressed the black button, and another flashed happened. The man then began to walk stiffly back down the path, never looking up.

Miroku walked up to his crew, a smile on his face and his glasses still on. "Why do I feel like I'm Will Smith in that movie, Men in Black?"

The crew rolled their eyes.

"What? I like strawberry ice cream."

They were almost finished packaging the creature, ready to throw it in the back of their truck and bring it to the lab.

"What took so long to kill it?" Sango asked Inuyasha and Kagome. "It never takes this long."

Kagome shrugged. "For some reason, it didn't go after the bait. It just sat there for a while and didn't attack until we did. Weird."

"Why would it wait that long when it could have attempted to have the bait so quickly?" Miroku asked.

"Because it was after us," Inuyasha said.

Every one looked at him. The expression on his face, so pissed and determined, and a hint of confusion. But no one said anything. His voice was definite and they didn't think to question him right now on the matter. They would do it later-tomorrow, when they were all rested. Kagome looked at Inuyasha who was still staring at the creature being carried away.

It wasn't because he was their best slayer that they didn't question him. It was because he simply knew. It was a simple understanding to him. He usually was able to do that-determine the creatures' motives, whether it was a vampyer, zombie, harpy-but mostly a werewolf. He could understand those the best. And once you knew him, it was very sensible. No one knew how he understood or how he could do it, or how he…analyzed the situation. Only that he did it and that was good enough. Besides, the crew trusted him, even though he was a jerk sometimes. But he had that connection with the creatures of the night and they would use that to their advantage. No one knew _how_ he could understand them. But they all knew _why_.

Inuyasha was after all, part werewolf.


	2. WEREWOLF NATURE

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor do I own the Inuyasha characters and storyline.**_

_QUOTE OF THE CHAPTER:_

"**We have doomed the Wolf not for what it is, but for what we have deliberately and mistakenly perceived it to be. The mythologized epitome of a savage, ruthless killer... which is, in reality no more than a reflected image of ourselves."  
Farely Mowat  
**

_**WHEN THE DARKNESS HOWLS**_

CHAPTER 2: WEREWOLF NATURE

Kagome lay in her bed on her back, staring at the ceiling above her.

They had all decided to come to her house for a nights rest because hers was closer. Everyone was really worn out with the battle and needed a good rest. She narrowed her eyes at nothing in particular. She still hadn't told the rest of her crew about the werewolf talking to her…well…she kind of told Miroku, but she didn't elaborate with everyone being exhausted from the battle, she just didn't feel like keeping them up longer than needed.

But it was important and she needed to tell them. But the problem was…would they _believe_ her? They have worked with creatures that-just by looking at them-could cause you to vomit and make your eyes bulge. But the point was, the ones that could talk did, and the ones that couldn't talk-that, including werewolves, didn't talk. But to suddenly have something that couldn't even move its jaws, be able to speak human _language_ to you was terrifying.

She would tell them in the morning, when they were all gathered at Head Quarters. That way, she'd get the cat out of the bag and get to tell everyone at the same time. She sniffed and rolled her eyes. She could already see it. As soon as she finished telling them what happened they'd probably grab her up and start asking her all of these questions and then start investigating the werewolf. They would probably think it was a new mutation of some kind. She knew her information would change everything in the Head Quarters.

The heavy weight that covered half of her body shifted over her. She looked down and made eye contact with a pair of twitching black ears. She rolled her eyes. Inuyasha. The man never gave her break. She sighed and brought her hand up to rub one of his silky ears. A soft growl rose from his throat and his head, which was cradled into her shoulder, started to nuzzle.

Her eyes shifted to his face and she couldn't help but smile. In his slumber, he looked peaceful, like he had no worries.

She stroked his ear softly and he continued to growl. He always did this. Every full moon, he would somehow end up in her bed with her. Like earlier tonight. As soon as they came home, everyone got comfy, ready for bed. All except for Inuyasha. All he did was pace around the room and fidget around until she had to yell at him to go and take a run. The full moon still had him acting up.

She shifted under him, trying to get some personal space. But the clawed hand that was wrapped securely around her waist only tightened with her movements.

"Inuyasha…" she whispered to him. "Inuyasha, get the hell off of me."

Still, he shifted and tightened his arms around her. This time, though, he wrapped a leg over her thigh and covered her body intimately with his own. He snuggled closer to her, his head moving up to her neck to nuzzle her skin. She could feel her heart beat begin to speed up for the second time that night, and she wasn't in the mood for it. She really did hate it when he didn't even have to try, and yet her body responded to him as if they were doing…certain activities. With that thought in mind, she started to struggle even more, but yet gentle enough not to wake him. Even though the fool got on her nerves, he deserved his rest as much as every one else, and she didn't want to wake him just because she couldn't sleep.

She finally got herself loose from his hold and slipped out of bed. Inuyasha stirred slightly and she made a quick getaway; tiptoeing to the door and silently closing it. She walked down the dark hall passing Miroku and Sango's rooms on the way. Her guest rooms really did come in handy. She crept down the stairs and into the kitchen where she put water on the stove to boil. While she waited, she sat in one of the kitchen chairs and rested her head on her hands.

She would look completely crappy in the morning when they had to go to Head Quarters, due to her lack of sleep. She narrowed her eyes slightly when her thoughts drifted back to the battle she just endured previously. She sighed. That was one hell of a battle; she's never been knocked out so easily in her entire life! It was a hard and quick kick to her ego as well as her pride to be taken down so easily by a trivial werewolf. But the thing about the matter was: That was no _normal_ werewolf. It had _talked_ to her and that reached way past normal limits.

Her forehead crinkled in concentration as she tried to remember what the creature had said to her…

Flashback…

"_You…you can…talk…" she gasped out, her lungs burning._

"_Yes," it growled. It leaned closer, "I've been waiting for you two…" then it swung its huge head around and in one big sweep, swung its hand behind it and sent Inuyasha flying into a tree. It snapped in two and Inuyasha slumped down to the floor, knocked out. Kagome's eyes widened in terror when she saw that the top of the tree crack fully and landed on top of Inuyasha._

"_No!" she choked out, before the pressure on her chest was intensified._

"_Yes…!" the creature growled again. "Master has waited so long for this. I'll bring you first, then him." He said, referring to Inuyasha. "The little half-breed will be no trouble coming with me."_

"_How…can you talk…?"_

"_Something I've picked up…now, Master awaits my return."_

End Flashback…

Kagome's eyes widened. Master! A master, he wanted to take them to its master…but why? Kagome continued to contemplate this new information. When the creature was on top of her, she wasn't in her right mind. With her pain and hurting limbs, all she did was yell back at the creature that held her captive, not mindful of her words. _'So…Inuyasha was right, it was waiting for us. To attack us. But not to kill us…But what would its master want with us? And the creature said it's been waiting for us…how long has it been waiting, exactly? Has it been watching us unknowingly?' _Kagome scrunched up her nose in disgust of being watched by such a vile creature.

She would diffidently have to talk to the group about this. This went beyond the werewolf talking to her. Now, there was some new evil out there that they would have to quickly destroy. Anger boiled up inside of her at just the thought. She wasn't in the mood. She was already on beck and call to fight the everyday creatures that caused havoc on the streets, and now, she's been beaten to a pulp, can't sleep, and what's more, all of the things she' s killed is gathering together for some evil plot that she has no idea about.

She was so angry, in fact, that she didn't even notice the soft rumbling noise that was starting in her chest, rising up to her throat before it came out in a loud growl. Her hands were clenched on the table and she was glaring. A smooth sleepy voice, one that also held amusement, severed her thoughts.

"That growls isn't so bad, for a human that is."

Kagome nearly jumped out of her chair. She placed a hand over her racing heart and cursed herself for being so lost in her thoughts that she completely allowed her guard to be let down.

"You know, that growl makes you sexier," the voice said again.

Kagome didn't even know that she had still been growling, but she immediately cut it off with a choked cough. She sobered up quickly and tuned to give Inuyasha a quick glare over her shoulder before she turned back. She tuned back very quickly when she realized that he was half naked, only wearing his black jeans. She didn't realize he was without a shirt when they were in bed together. He must have taken it off before he came out to bother her.

"Why'd you leave the bed?" he asked as he walked up behind her. Kagome stiffened, feeling how close he was.

"I left because you were all over me when I was trying to get some sleep," she answered curtly. She stood up when the whistling of the kettle signaled her hot water was ready. She quickly made her tea and sat back down, quickly doing her best to ignore Inuyasha's presence. She sipped her tea, glaring at her cup. She saw Inuyasha sit in the seat across from her from the corner of her eye. Even without looking at him, she could feel his powerful gaze on her. After a while of his staring, Kagome shifted in her seat, looked at him and snapped, "What the _hell_ are you looking at?"

Inuyasha blinked at her. He slowly crossed his hands over his muscled chest and continued to stare at her. Kagome held his gaze, stubborn as she was. She wasn't going to allow Inuyasha to get the best of her, not even when he didn't have a shirt on. But she found it slightly hard to keep her gaze on his face when his whole chest was in her sight. She noticed his eyes flash with what she new for a fact was amusement. She could feel a soft flush creeping up her neck as she kept her gaze locked with him. The stupid ass knew just what was going on with her.

"You know," he said breaking the silence, "my nose is _very_ sensitive."

Kagome's eyes widened a fraction at what he was implying. _'Figures_ _his nasty mind would allow him to say something disgusting like that!'_ She blew out a frustrated breath. "Why don't you take your nasty mind, along with your inflated ego and go back to sleep."

"Can't. Not without you by my side, Baby."

Kagome's eyes flashed. "I'm not your 'baby'! I'm not your anything!" She sipped her cup of tea, and glared behind him. When she spared him a glance, she saw that he had leaned in, hovering over the table, his arms still crossed and a deep scowl on his face. She huffed and looked away again. "If you think your petty scowl will allow you to get your way, your wrong, so fuck off." Another sip of tea. "By the way, I'm tired of waking up and finding you all over me. How's a girl supposed to get some sleep with you latched onto me with a vengeance. I can barely turn around without you breathing down my neck. I want you to stop." Again with the glare behind him.

She looked at him when she could make out a growl; a growl that was slowly growing in volume. She couldn't help it when a smirk appeared on her face. She made him angry. _'Good, he deserved it for interrupting my thoughts.'_ She frowned, her mind slipping back into what she was thinking about before Inuyasha's growl once again broke through her thoughts.

"_Bitch!"_

She sighed. "Yes, but not yours."

She saw his eyes flash golden just for a second, and she froze, a small amount of fear gathered within her but she clamped it down. She wouldn't allow it to show, he would only try to dominate her quickly.

"What…did you say to me?" his voice was rough, just like it was when he was fighting the werewolf earlier.

Kagome thought whether she should reply with a sarcastic remark, or not reply at all. "Inuyasha, leave me and mind your business. I'm not in the mood right now." She heard him drag his claws on her kitchen table, doing his best to contain his rising anger. Kagome winced and glared at him. He was going to pay to fix that…

"Whatever is wrong with _my Bitch_ is _my _problem." Again with the 'My Bitch' talk.

Kagome gripped her tea cup so hard, a thin crack, not wider than a strand of hair, appeared from the top to the bottom of her mug. She was lucky most of her tea was gone, or else it would have leaked out. "I….am not and _never _will be…_your _Bitch…." When she spoke, this time her voice was a growl-literally. It was low and so dangerously quiet, that it had Inuyasha's heart beating faster and the hair raising on the back of his neck standing on end with the need to throw her over his knee and spank some sense into her, or smash her against the wall and fuck her senseless, making her know who she belonged to.

When his eyes flashed, this time however, they stayed golden, glowing with such intensity that it would have had the strongest night creature crying at his feet. But Kagome was so beyond gone that she barely noticed. She rose from her seat, slowly, taking deliberate slow steps, never taking her eyes off of him. She knew if she stayed, she wouldn't be able to get the peace and quiet she needed to think about what happened with the werewolf.

Inuyasha watched her with deadly silence. His posture was stiff and tense. His fists were clenched so hard that he could feel his claws digging into his skin. But still he didn't move. He was beyond anger…he wanted to fucking rip her apart for denying who she belonged to. He wanted to take her so completely that she had no doubts that she was _his_ Bitch. His eyes stared, stared with the look only a hunter could have. So acute and aware of only her…

Kagome made it to the kitchen door, knowing that Inuyasha was watching her. And although she was pissed at him her body couldn't help but react to its fullest. She couldn't deny it; Inuyasha was a handsome man, the most handsome man she's ever seen, in fact. His whole presence just screamed sexuality and it was enough to have any girl lying at his feet in a puddle of lust. Even she had to sometimes be careful around him, because his whole being was so dominating that it sometimes had her frightened-especially when they were alone.

She knew that Inuyasha was the type of man that ran only on instinct-it was his nature, his werewolf nature. It might sound so strange, her working with a werewolf and it might sound ridiculous to have one after you, but for her, it was all in her schedule. So when she saw him watching her with such calculation and his golden eyes growing darker by the minute, she-even in her angered state, she knew she had to move slowly-no sudden movements.

She stopped suddenly and took a good look at him. From top to bottom. She saw his black ears that stood so stiff and were directed at her. She observed his long midnight hair-the same color of his ears- that reached his waist. Her eyes moved down to his face and met his golden eyes that sent a shock of electricity through her whole body. She saw his perfect features, from his perfect forehead to his straight nose, to his plush kissable lips that were in a silent snarl, allowing her to see his fangs. Those same fangs that she remembered so clearly were running along her body only two months ago.

Her eyes moved on to his well muscled, tanned chest. By only looking, she could make out all of his muscles. Smooth skin played over his body perfectly that her hands almost reached out to touch him. Her eyes played over his tensed, clenched hands that had his biceps bulging in his anger. She nearly groaned out loud. That was her first mistake. There must have been a change in her scent because Inuyasha growled loudly, viscously as if his prey was right where he wanted it to be. Ready for an attack. Inuyasha's nose flared, taking in the scent of her arousal. It nearly undid him.

The sound snapped her back to reality. She was angry at him. Not _wanting _him. Angry, angry…. "Stop _sniffing_ me…" she hissed at him. She quickly turned her back on him. "Go sniff up somebody else's ass."

Mistake number two.

Inuyasha moved so fast, so smooth she didn't even sense him coming. At once, her front was smashed against the kitchen wall with such force that the air was knocked out of her lungs. Inuyasha's chest was pressed so tightly against her back; she could feel every muscle of his body. Every dip and movement he made behind her. Inuyasha had both of her wrist held tightly in one of his hands. He pressed her bundled wrist above her head. His other had was fisted in her long raven locks, pulling back hard, causing her neck to be pulled back which exposed her throat to him. She had no choice but to arch against the wall with the position he held her in.

She could feel his ragged, warm breath on her neck that made her shiver. She bucked against him when the air returned to her lungs. "What are you doing!" she screamed at him. She bucked against him again, trying to get way from him with such anger. Her only answer was a hard tug on her hair and a low growl. "You fucking asshole! Let me go!"

Inuyasha pushed against her roughly, letting her know without words that she wasn't going anywhere. She suddenly started to struggle harshly; bucking roughly and trying to get her hands free from his hold. "I hate you!" she yelled at him, still struggling. A sudden hard bite to her neck had her stopping in her tracks. The sudden memories of what happened two months ago between them flashed before her eyes and she would have collapsed at the memory if Inuyasha wasn't pressed against her so tightly.

With his fangs pressing against her neck and his rock hard body molded against hers she couldn't help but remember.

It was only two months ago, another full moon that he took her. As usual he was antsy and she yelled at him to go for a run. But she just didn't understand it. She didn't understand what was so different that night from all of the other full moons. So, of course she didn't understand when he crawled on top of her sleeping body, his glowing eyes demanding that she accept him, and began to softly nip and bite at her neck. And she didn't understand why she had groaned when he kissed her, primal need growing in her body, and wrapped her legs around his waist. Ever since that night, he has been after her, trying to make her his. It isn't that he wasn't already after her, but after that, he was after her with no mercy.

Every chance he got he was all over her. And one of those things was sleeping in her bed. She moaned pitifully when the pressure of his fangs increased on her neck. "Whose Bitch are you?" he growled in her ear. She shivered violently when his hot breath caressed her neck and face.

"Not…yours." She gasped out.

With that, she sealed her fate.

He yanked her hair once, causing her to cry out. He turned her around quickly and slammed her back against the wall having her face him now. Again, he pressed his body against hers and still held onto her wrist. With his other hand, he grabbed her chin roughly and brought his face so close to hers, the only thing she could see was his blazing gold eyes. A whining nose escaped her throat when she saw a slow sinister smile cross his face, showing off his pointed fangs. "Let me show you whose Bitch you are…."

Kagome's eyes widened when she was suddenly over his shoulder. She didn't get a chance to utter a word before she was suddenly thrown flat on her back. She blinked before she realized that she was back in her room. She sat up quickly and said, "Inuyasha, you fucking-" Something pushed her back roughly to the bed. She fell on her back silently. She immediately tried to get up when a sudden heavy pressure was on top of her. She knew what it was. "Inuyasha! Get off of me!" Her heart pounded in her chest so hard she thought her ribcage would burst. The last time he acted like this was two months ago…

She struggled underneath him, trying to push him off. But before she could say anything, his lips crashed down on hers violently. The kiss was violent, bruising almost. His lips were on hers with so much intensity she thought she would melt into the bed. When he nipped at her bottom lip, she couldn't help but groan and Inuyasha immediately took the advantage and dived his tongue into her mouth. When his hot tongue touched hers, it was then that Kagome actually realized what was going on. Her eyes widened, and she realized she could only see darkness.

She jerked her head to the side, ending the kiss, but that seemed to be okay for Inuyasha because he continued to kiss down her jaw line to her throat. Kagome brought her hands up and pushed him away. He must have been too occupied because he actually rolled off. Kagome immediately jumped up and made a line straight to the door but she was abruptly snatched back. Inuyasha lifted her up by her waist and slammed her back against the wall. Kagome bit back the cry of pain that wanted to escape her.

"You're _my_ Bitch and I'm going to show you that…for the rest of the fucking night," he growled loudly in her ear. He pressed his body against hers, settling between her legs and pushing her against the wall harder.

"Inuyasha, get off of me!" Kagome yelled. She pushed him as hard as she could, but that did no good. Her hand went for his hair and she yanked his hair, never letting go but pulling as hard as she could. He growled loudly and she looked at him. She bit her lip when the only think she could see in the darkness was his glowing golden eyes, filled with nothing but lust. She yanked is hair again, and again, he growled, threatening her. "Fuck off, Inuyasha." She yanked again. His golden eyes narrowed and before she knew it, her shirt was gone and Inuyasha pressed his naked chest against hers, and she couldn't help but groan at the feeling of skin against skin.

She should have worn a bra.

Inuyasha leaned in and, in one slow long stroke, licked the side of her face from her chin to her forehead. Kagome shuddered violently in his arms. Her body instantly went slack. Inuyasha brought his lips to her ear and whispered, "Say my name."

Kagome ignored him. Placing her hands on his chest for a futile chance of getting away from him. But her hands were already too weak to do any good, anyway, and when he gave her face another stroke, she found her hands that were once placed against his chest, running along his shoulders, then down the length of his arms, almost as if they had a mind of their own. Inuyasha pushed his chest closer to her hands, desperate to feel her touch. "Say. My. Name." Though Kagome was now lost, she knew that she would not succumb to him so easily, so of course, she shook her head in a silent "No."

Inuyasha growled. "Fine. But you'll be screaming it all night, anyway." Kagome whimpered as Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her once again to the bed. He laid her down on her back and was quickly on top of her, his chest pressing tightly on her chest. The feeling of her soft hot skin and her hard nipples rubbing against his chest caused something like a whine, something like a growl to be ripped from his mouth. And Kagome's wondering hands weren't helping any.

Inuyasha placed persistent, open mouth kisses along her neck. He stopped and nipped at her pulse point, causing Kagome to gasp and arch into him. He continued, his kisses becoming more urgent and needy as he harshly bit her pulse point, causing a droplet of blood to come out. He licked up the red liquid and continued down her neck, to her shoulder, all the while never stopping his licks and nips and sucks as he came closer to her breast. When he reached them, he didn't hesitate to take one pert nipple into his mouth and begin to suck. Kagome's eyes flew open and with a loud moan, she tangled her hands in Inuyasha's hair, pushing him down harder against her chest, making sure his hot mouth didn't leave her breast.

Inuyasha let go of that breast when he was finished and moved on to the next. Leaving a trail of hot, burning kisses on the way. He took the other nipple in his mouth and bit down hard. "Oh!" Kagome cried out in bliss. Inuyasha's ears perked up at the sound. He opened his mouth further, taking in as much flesh as possible. Kagome trembled beneath him, whimpering for more. He left her breast and continued down, his clawed hands running along Kagome's sides, eliciting moans and shudders from her.

"Are you going to say my name, yet?" he growled out while dipping his tongue into her navel. No answer. He nuzzled her stomach, placing nips and bites on her skin. When he reached the top of her pajama pants he growled. "I hate these things…" With one long flick of his claws, the pants fell apart to reveal her creamy legs. Inuyasha never thought he's seen longer legs than hers. His golden eyes searched her legs, from her slim waist to her creamy thighs, to her smooth calves and all the way down. He instantly went between her thighs, nuzzling her legs apart. His golden eyes searched for something and he nearly howled in triumph when he saw it. There, on her inner left thigh was his mark. It was nothing more than two small dots where he had sunk his fangs, but it held significance. If he bit her there two more times, she would be completely his…

He shuddered at the thought of her only belonging to him.

He nuzzled the mark, growling loudly when a violent shudder went through Kagome's body. "Inu-Inuyasha…" Kagome sighed. He nuzzled the mark again and nearly bit her when Kagome pressed her thigh against his mouth, almost as if it was an offering. His tongue darted out and licked the mark, and his erection only grew at the sudden spike in Kagome's scent. "Inuyasha!" she screamed.

He ignored her, moving from the mark to the space between her legs, her sacred place. He nuzzled her through her panties and gave an arrogant chuckle when Kagome bucked against him. He held her hips down and continued his ministrations. "Inuyasha…please?" Kagome asked him in a cracked voice.

"Please what?" he asked back.

She growled in frustration. Inuyasha chuckled again. He quickly rid himself of his pants and boxes, hovering over her in all of his naked glory. He sliced Kagome's panties away. Kagome nearly cried when she felt the cool air against her private parts. '_Finally', _her clouded mind thought. Inuyasha stalked up her body like the predator he was. He positioned himself between her legs with a soft hiss of pleasure. Kagome instantly bucked her hips against his, ready for more. Her blood temperature was off the charts. At this point, she didn't care what was going on, just as long as he was the one to stop the painful aching in her lower stomach. She could feel it, a knot that was being tied tighter and tighter. She _needed_ this release. She needed_ him_ to be the one to do it.

She writhed pathetically beneath him, desperately to feel him inside of her like two months ago. This would only be their second time together and she was already so desperate to feel his touch. She ground her hips against his, and nearly died when he held her hips still. "What!" she cried out. Hadn't he tortured her long enough? She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Open your eyes, Kagome." Inuyasha growled.

Kagome could only whimper at his hot breath flowed over her face. She couldn't open her eyes, it was too hard. "Open your fucking eyes!"

His tone had her pulse jumping. And she knew he felt it, too. Slowly, painfully, she opened her eyes and was met with a pair of dark golden eyes that blazed with a million fires. She shivered under him. He brought his face close to hers, his lips millimeters from hers. "This is the second time…" he bit out. She could tell he was holding back, wanting to say what was needed to be said before he took her. But she didn't want him to hold back. She wrapped one of her long silky legs around his waist to pull him closer to her. She also brought her hands to his shoulders, rubbing and raking her nails against his skin. He bucked wildly against her body, and Kagome savored in the feeling of having him so close.

But he suddenly bit down on her bottom lip, drawing blood. "Let me fucking finish…" he growled out. "This is the second time, Kagome. So soon, you will be mine, you understand? No one else's." He rocked his hips against hers, making her feel how much he wanted her. Kagome threw her head back and moaned. "Do you understand?" She nodded, her lust filled mind not understanding what he was talking about. As soon as she nodded, he entered her, swift and hard, tearing a loud "Yes!" from his lover.

He pumped into her, hard, fast and ruthless. All he wanted was her. All he _needed_ was her. The intense heat that engulfed him when he entered her was enough to make him feel like there were a thousand full moons in the sky. It was enough to make him howl at the endless dark sky for what he was taking, for what was _his_. Kagome was **_his_** Bitch. No one else's, and as he pumped into her, harder, faster, he made sure she knew that, whether she would follow it or not, he was making sure that she was his.

His hands never stayed still, running along her sides, raking his claws over her smooth flesh and kneading her breast. His only focus was her. His ears stayed strained on her every breath, her every whimper that escaped her wonderful lips. All of those sounds only lit the fuel of need he had for her. For him, two months had been to long. It felt like years-centuries, even. And he was going to make up for all of the lost time he could have had with her if it weren't for her stubbornness.

"Inuyasha…" she moaned his name.

He licked her lips. "Say it again." It was a command.

"Inuyasha." Louder this time.

"What?" he growled out. Her head rolled back when he gave a hard thrust.

"Mmm…harder…"

He growled savagely at her. He grabbed the back of her knees and pulled her against him roughly. The position allowed him to enter her deeper and harder. Kagome arched up to him. "Oh, God, Inuyasha!" she screamed. He kissed her, holding nothing back. He kissed her with ruthless desire, the desire to bring her over the edge of sanity and beyond. Kagome grabbed the back of his head and pulled him closer to her lips. He demanded her lips responded, and she was ever so eager. His tongue launched itself into her mouth and caressed her tongue with fire. Kagome whimpered into the kiss when his fangs nipped her bottom lip and he began to suck it. He broke away suddenly, never missing the whimper from her when his lips were no longer over hers. He began to attack her neck with just as much force as he did her mouth.

"One more time, Kagome," he muttered against her neck. "One more time and you'll be all mine."

Kagome arched herself against him, meeting his thrust. "One…more time…?" her muffle brain gasped out.

"Yes…one more bite…"

Her brain registered it slowly. But she finally understood, it was already too late. "One more bite…"

Inuyasha bit her neck.

"Inuyasha…it's like last time," she gasped out. "T-two months ago…this is the second time…"

He licked her pulse point and gave a hard thrust.

"No…" she gasped. "No…"

"Fuck, yes," Inuyasha muttered against her neck. His hands grabbed her thighs again bringing her closer if possible. He rolled his hips into hers, entering her hard. His hands roamed her legs, his claws flexing against her skin. "Fuck, yes. My Kagome…**mine**…"

"No," Kagome chocked, her eyes closed tight. Some part of her brain was shouting at her. Shouting at her for allowing this to happen. She knew after he took her, he would bite her again. That would be the second bite. And only one more would be left before…how could she have allowed this to happen? She tried to pull away, she really did, but her body didn't move an inch away from him. It felt too good, to right to leave, to not accept him. He was the one she wanted right now. He was the one her body craved for-craved for something she didn't understand. "No, no, no, no."

But even as she said this, her hands were sensually running up and down his shoulders, down his arms where she squeezed his muscle. She felt his muscles tighten under her hand. Felt his shudder at her touch. "No…" But her legs were wrapping tightly around his waist, pulling him closer. Her body was arching towards him, needing him to ignore her negatives and continue to explore her body. Her arms traveled to his back, her fingers roaming that mysterious dent that ran from his shoulder blades to his hips, feeling his muscles move and twitch. She dug her fingers into his skin, telling him she needed more, arching her body to his, she told him to take her over completely…

And Inuyasha understood. He was nuzzling her neck, growling loudly. He reached behind her and, with his large calloused hands, cupped her bottom, lifting her off of the bed slightly, closer to him, closer to his thrust. Kagome moaned with pleasure. The only thing she could do was run her hand over his hot, sweat slicked skin and wrap her legs tighter around him. The only thing she could do was moan his name and burry her face in the crook of his neck, taking in his wild scent, which was mixed with sweat and sex.-it made her want to explode. The only thing she could do was scream, her eyes shut, screaming his name out loud when she came, her inner walls clenching around him almost painfully. The only thing she could do was give herself to him.

And for the second time in her life, Kagome gave herself over to a semi-werewolf. A werewolf named Inuyasha Lan'dure.

* * *

End When the Darkness Howls (For now.) 

Next chapter is in the works, people.

Vistit my bio to see how strories are coming along...


	3. BLOOD RED EYES

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor do I own the Inuyasha characters and storyline.**_

_QUOTE OF THE CHAPTER:_

"**Wolves are not our brothers; they are not our subordinates, either. They are another nation, caught up just like us in the complex web of time and life."  
Henry Beston  
**

_**WHEN THE DARKNESS HOWLS**_

CHAPTER 3: BLOOD RED EYES

The persistent light that was fluttering through her blinds was the cause for Kagome to stir in her sleep. She shifted, her sleepy mind trying to ignore the dull stinging pain at the inner of her left thigh. When she tried and tried again, but couldn't block out the light, she grumpily opened her eyes. She immediately closed her them, enjoying the darkness that came with it. '_Why the hell is it so bright in here?'_ Kagome thought sleepily. She moved her head slightly, attempting to once again open her eyes. She did, this time slowly, taking precautions. When she finally got them open wide enough, they were still the size of slits, but good enough to get a good look around her room.

And the first thing she saw was the bright red numbers of her clock, currently telling her that it was 12: 18. She blinked, and then blinked again, still looking at the clock. Something about it was trying to tell her something that her still sleepy mind just couldn't figure out. She looked away from it, turning her head towards the left in the direction of her big bedroom window. The cause of her waking up. '_I should have closed my blinds last night, before I went to bed.'_ She closed her eyes again, for some reason feeling lightheaded.

"I really don't feel like getting up right now," she muttered out loud, rolling on her stomach, still trying to block out the unusually bright light that was still bothering her. But the action brought a sting of pain that had her instantly alerted. She froze, confusion written all over her face. She rolled back onto her back and tried to sit up, ready to investigate the pain coming from her thigh. She winced again when she felt the pain. Resting her head back on her head bored, she brought her hand in front of her and ripped the blankets away from her legs-and froze in terror.

She was naked.

Completely and utterly naked. Flesh-meeting-the-bed- naked. She didn't understand, she went to bed last night with close _on_…she remembered…she woke up to get some tea…she started to think about the werewolf and then…!

Her eyes widened and a hand came up to cover her mouth. "Oh…my…fucking…GOODNESS!" she screamed out loud into her room. Her action, surprisingly, caused her hands to cover her ears. Her own voice was hurting her. Her eyes were hurting her, why? Her hands slowly made their way away from her ears, dropping lifelessly by her side. She remembered. She could recall everything. Last nights events seemed to flash before her very eyes, quicker than lightning. She had once again given herself to him, allowed him to take her body as his own.

Slowly, as if she didn't even want to see it herself, she moved her legs further apart to see the second mark that Inuyasha had left on her after their passionate night. She didn't want to see it, but she did- there, right under the first mark he had given her, was the second. The two holes were still tender and red from her skin being punctured. She gently, slowly, with a shaking hand, rubbed her thumb over the sensitive skin. The sensation was so overwhelming, that she fell back on the bed, dazed.

It suddenly felt like he was still there. Still lying right next to her on the bed. She extended her hand to the right, the place where he always slept, every time he came into her bed. She could see him now. Shirtless and asleep, his dark hair resting gently on his face, neck and shoulders, running all the way to his back. She could see his dark midnight eyes, opening and gazing into hers with…with so much want it seemed to make her whimper. She could see him, reaching over the bed spread; reaching for her to draw her closer to him…The image seemed to go as quickly as it came. It snapped out of her head like a picture already gone.

She snapped up, her hand going to her head before she leaned down slowly. Maybe she should get some sleep…she would kill Inuyasha later. No, she wouldn't kill him, she would slaughter him, destroy him. But she needed to rest now. Her eyes were hurting her still; her ears were pounding her like hell. She curled into a ball, ignoring the now known mark that was from Inuyasha and pulled the blanket over her head. She would rest now, rest until everything came back into focus again. But that couldn't be, because something began to nag at her.

She ignored it, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to go back into her dream land where she knew nothing but darkness. But the inner thought was persistent, not leaving her alone. She sighed, giving up and opened her eyes. She stared straight ahead in a daze. Slowly, her fingers brushed against her knew mark again, on their own accord. She winced slightly, even when her fingers brushed against the delicate skin with a feather light touch. She sighed again, this time deeply, allowing her emotions to be rushed out as well. "Oh, Inuyasha…" her voice was so soft in the quiet room. "Why did you do it…why did I _let_ you do it…?" Her voice cracked at the end. Her throat burned.

As quickly as possible she gathered herself together. Her hand came up to cover her eyes again, and took a deep breath. _'Never again, Inuyasha, you'll never get me that close to you again.'_ She should never have allowed him to touch her. She clenched her fist tight. But it was also her fault, too, wasn't it? She should have been stronger. She should have been able to resist him. But she couldn't; she didn't. She allowed him to touch her, to mark her and now she was only one step closer to becoming his. One bite mark and it would be over.

She rolled on her stomach, stuffing her face deep into her pillow. She sighed as the coolness engulfed her face. She was too close to him now…way to close…she couldn't stand it. Her fist clenched the pillowcase tightly, so hard her knuckles turned white. She would be dammed before she allowed him to touch her like that again. She wouldn't lose herself to him. She couldn't.

She shifted her head so her cheek rested against the pillow. Her eyes came upon the bright red numbers of her digital clock that was resting on her nightstand. She blinked at it a couple of time, trying to figure out what it was trying to tell her. 12:27 was what it read. Her eyebrows crinkled with thought. Wasn't she supposed to be somewhere? She was sure she was, but where? Her eyes widened. Work. Oh, shit, she was supposed to be at work. She rolled out of bed, quicker than lightning and staggered to the bathroom.

"Shit…" she cursed, when she entered the bathroom and switched on the light. The brightness stung her eyes immediately. "Why do my freaking eyes hurt?" she asked herself out loud. She leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom, her head pressed against the smooth, cool wood. When her eyes dulled slightly, she sighed and stood straight. She reached for the sink and staggered over to it. When she reached, she took a good look at herself in the mirror that hung above the sink. Her black hair was disarrayed and tangled. Her eyes looked tired and droopy. She leaned in closer. Nothing looked different from usual. Had she expected to see something different about her?

She opened her mouth to see her teeth. Some knew fangs, maybe? She took at glance at her fingers. Or maybe even some claws, slowly starting to grow. But, no, nothing of the sort had happened. Her stormy blue eyes were still the same, showing no signs of a flashing gold color in their depths or a midnight black. Her teeth were short and stubby as usual, no sign of protruding fangs. And thank god, no claws. She sighed a breath of relief and ran her clawless hands through her tangled hair. "Inuyasha, I swear when I see you, I'm going to fucking wring your neck…" she muttered.

With a final glance down at the mark on her thigh, she stepped into the shower and turned the water heat up as much as possible.

Less than an hour later, Kagome was dressed and ready to head to work. Fumbling through her bedroom until she found her gym bag, she walked swiftly through the house and grabbed her car keys from the kitchen table when she passed. She reached her front door and flung it open widely, the summer heat rushing in. But the blinding light of the summer sun reached her eyes with a ferocity that caused her to drop her gym bag and curse loudly.

She quickly stepped back into the house, her hands in front of her face, shielding it from the light. When she once again reached the safeness of her house, she removed her hands from her face and blinked the black spots away from her vision. "Sunglasses," she said running back to her room and looking in her draws. When she returned to the door, she had a pair of thick black sunglasses on her face, covering her eyes. They looked ridiculous, but they would have to do. Picking up her gym bag, she walked out the door.

When Kagome pulled into a big parking lot, in front of a bank, she stopped the car. Adjusting her glasses before she stepped put, she exited the car and started to walk towards the entrance of the bank. Walking past automatic doors, she stepped into the bank and appeared in the small waiting room. She glanced around quickly through her thick, black glasses. She was slightly surprised that the bank wasn't crowded like it always was. But only a couple of people stood in line, waiting to speak to the people behind the desk.

She walked past the number of desks and approached a door that was to the far corner of the big room. Above the door, read a sign that said, in thick red letters, "Employees Only." Where the door knob should have been, was a tiny device that accept an identification card; that being the only way to enter. Kagome frowned down at the door. Setting down her gym bag, she ruffled threw it until she found her card, crowded between a pair of socks. Snatching it up, she entered it into the slit in the door. It made a small beeping noise. She then entered her ID number into the small number patch that was stuck to the wall next to the door. When the door clicked open, and her ID card flipped out of the slit, she walked through the door and down a long amount of stairs.

When she reached the bottom, she was greeted with a man leaning against a wall with a locked elevator next to him. The man looked bored as he leaned against the wall, his short, brown hair was tied in a low pony-tail and his arms were crossed against his chest. He wore black pants, a gun in its holster at his hip and a crisp white shirt. When Kagome approached, he glanced up and smirked at her-showing fangs. Kagome rolled her eyes behind her glasses.

"Well, well, well," he chided. "Kagome finally makes it to work…" He glanced at his watch. "…Two hours late."

"Shove it, Reko," Kagome muttered as she approached the elevator door. "Let me in. I don't need to be later than I already am."

"Someone's in a bitchy mood. I wonder why." He took a deep breath. He paused, a horrible smirk coming to his face. "Oh, that's why. Inuyasha jumped your bones again, huh? You know, if you ever need some help containing him, just give me a call. I'm not a security guard for nothing, you know."

Kagome could feel the blush from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. "Damn cat demons…" she muttered as she approached the elevator. She ignored Reko's snickers. Reaching the elevator, she dropped her gym bag and stared at the blank wall next to the elevator. When nothing happened as it should have, she raised her black glasses from her face and glared at Reko. "Well?" she demanded.

"What?" Reko asked innocently.

"Activate the damn thing!"

"Oh, yeah," he said sheepishly. He dug into his pocket and came back out with a small metal device. Pressing the small red button with his claw, Kagome turned in front of her in time to see the once blank wall next to the elevator, start to peel off, the cement covering, moving up to reveal a section of the wall that was once covered, to now be gel. Kagome made a face before digging her hand into the gel, placing her hands with the palms flat, until the gel touched her wrist.

"Ew…" she commented. After a pause, the elevator doors opened and Kagome retracted her hands immediately. A yellow cloth appeared in front of her face and she took it, wiping the sticky substance from her hands. "You're good for something, Reko."

The demon scowled. "Just wait until Myoga gets you, Kagome. He'll give you extra training for being late."

"I can handle Myoga," she said dryly.

"Hey, what's with the glasses?"

Kagome shifted the glasses on her head, and then brought them back over her eyes. "My eyes are killing me," she said, blinking, trying to re-accustom her eyes. "They weren't hurting like this last night."

Reko snorted. "That's because Inuyasha wasn't behaving himself, last night."

Kagome glared at him and snatched up her bag. She stepped into the elevator and pressed the only button that was there. As an after thought, Kagome stuck her head out of the elevator and said, "And if you ever bring Inuyasha and me up again, I'll personally snap your neck." Then she threw the cloth that was messy with the gel on his face, ignoring the surprised "Hey" that he yelled as the elevator doors closed and started to descend.

Kagome stepped out of the elevator and right into Head Quarters. She usually went to the locker room first, but she didn't have time. She wasn't sure if the meeting was over or if they were all still inside of the meeting room. But she would go straight there, not wanting to take any chances-especially with Myoga. Her steps quickened at the thought. It wasn't that's she was afraid of him, it's just that he was very stern when it came to things like this and he tended to punish the rest of the group for one person's mistakes.

She passed by the locker rooms and the gym doors. When she reached the end of the hall, and the only thing there was there was a pair of large wooden doors, she knew she reached the meeting room. She approached it slowly, half hoping that the meeting would already be over so she wouldn't have to sit there. The meetings were sometimes hours, sometimes without breaks and she wasn't in the mood to sit there. She was surprised that she could hear the faint murmur of voices. The wooden door was very thick.

With a sigh, she opened the door, trying to be as discreet as possible. When she slowly stuck her head in, her sunglasses slipping to the tip of her nose. She nearly groaned out loud when she saw that everyone was seated around the long table. With a quick scan, she noticed that Miroku and Sango were seated quietly on the left of the table. She looked closer and saw that Miroku was peeping at some nasty magazines under the table. She snickered quietly, her sunglasses bouncing. He was her best friend, but a terrible pervert.

"Ms. Higurashi, it seems you've decided to join us."

Apparently, she hadn't snickered quietly enough.

Kagome felt like she was back in high school, sneaking in the back of the class when she was late. She blushed softly and straightened her sunglasses over her face. She stepped into the room, glad her thick glasses were blocking half of the blush that was rising on her face when she noticed that everyone was staring at her in the room. Including Miroku and Sango.

"Please, take a seat, Kagome."

Kagome turned a glare at Myoga, who was standing in front of everyone at the end of the table, a couple of papers scattered in front of him. Kagome carelessly dropped her gym bag at the door and walked closer to the big table. "Sorry I'm late. Had a few…problems." She told him, raising the glasses to the top of her head. Her eyes did a quick scan of the room. She found no Inuyasha. Big surprise….

She hurriedly found a seat next to Miroku and sunk down in the chair. She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at Myoga as he drifted on with his speech. He was a short stubby man, with huge, dark brown eyes. His hair was short and cut old fashioned. Some of his hair was already graying, too. His old whiskers were spiked out of his cheeks and sometimes they moved slightly when he talked. Kagome shifted in her seat. Should she have been glad that Inuyasha wasn't there? She knew she should have. He would probably infuriate her to the point she'd just have to get up and slap his ass in front of everyone.

She could see it now. Him just leaning back in his chair, that conceited smirk on his face as he stared at her with knowing eyes. She bet he would make some kind of caustic remark about her being late, just to embarrass her, like he always did. Her scowled deepened. Yeah, she should be glad that he wasn't here. _'He better not cross my path today, or he'll be in for it.'_

As the meeting ended, and everyone filed out of the meeting room, Sango and Miroku thought it be best to play the game '21 Questions' with Kagome, who wasn't in the mood.

"Will you two just shut up?" she asked annoyingly, as she grabbed her gym bag by the door and walked out. She was going to the gym, maybe that way she would be able to filter some of her anger she held inside.

"So, Kagome," Miroku started as he toddled behind her. "Care to explain why you came late…although, we already know."

Kagome stopped and turned a glare at Miroku over her shoulder. "Sango, he's my best friend, but _your _pervert. Unless you want him dead, I suggest you get him the hell away from me."

"He's not _my _pervert. He's just _a_ pervert," Sango exclaimed, glaring at Miroku's hands as they came dangerously close to her behind.

"Oh, Sango," Miroku said, sounding so formal. "I am deeply hurt that you would accuse me of being a pervert. And you, Kagome! My best friend. Have I ever touched you in such a manner before?"

"Yes!" both Kagome and Sango yelled at the same time as they reached the gym doors. Kagome pushed against the doors and stomped into the gym. The light shinning through the tall windows caused her to replace her glasses over her eyes with a wince. "I'm going to the locker room," she mumbled.

Both Miroku and Sango watched her with worried eyes. "Maybe I should talk to her," Miroku voiced, as he started to approach the locker room. Sango grabbed his shoulder and jerked him back roughly.

"The hell you will. I'll go talk to her. In the mean time, you go start you exercise like you're supposes to be doing now."

Miroku shrugged innocently as he walked away. Sango watched him with unreadable eyes until she saw him disappear into the men's locker room. She shook her head slowly with a sigh. "I swear…that man will be the death of me one day." She turned her eyes towards the locker room. "Now for Kagome." When Sango reached inside of the locker room, she found Kagome sitting on the bench, jamming her foot into her gym sneakers.

"Hey, Kagome." Sango greeted as she walked to her own locker and opened it up. She took out her workout outfit and slung it over her shoulder and made herself comfortable on the bench next to Kagome. Kagome's answer to her greeting was a sound in the back of her throat. Sango took that as a "Hello." Stripping off her blue shirt, Sango slipped on her black tank top that stopped right above her bellybutton. "So, why'd you come late today," she asked, trying to get Kagome to respond.

"Tsk. Why the hell do you think?" Kagome countered as she tied her laces.

Sango sighed. "What did Inuyasha do this time?"

"That bastard crept up on me last night!" Kagome suddenly yelled, seething on the bench. She winced when her voice echoed off of the locker room walls and met her ears.

Sango's eyes softened with worry. "Are you okay?"

Kagome nodded, a small grimace on her face. "Yeah, just peachy…"

Sango frowned. "What's with your eye glasses? You look ridiculous!"

Kagome offered Sango a small smile, some of her anger forgotten. "I don't know. I just woke up this morning and my eyes were killing me. I had to put these ugly things on."

Sango put on her spandex. "Why do you have those things anyway? They're hideous."

Kagome glared at her. "I don't even remember when or where I bought them." She sighed as she took them off and held them in her hand. "My ears hurt, too."

"Your ears?" Sango asked, as she too, slipped on her sneakers. "What the hell is wrong with you today?"

"I have no idea," she sighed. "Hey, tell me what Myoga said at the meeting this morning. Was it important?" Kagome rubbed her eyes gently with the back of her hand as she talked to Sango.

Sango paused, her eyes taking on a weird light. "It's strange," she said softly. "He said that there have been an increased number of attacks in the city. More than even the slayers can handle."

Kagome's eyebrows rose in surprise, and slight fear. That night suddenly flashed through her head. The night a creature of the darkness had talked to her. She shook her head, trying to shake the image away. She would think about that later, not now. She focused her thoughts on what Sango was saying.

"They say the werewolves are getting bigger, too." Sango was saying. "Maybe that's why the one you killed last night was so big." She shrugged. "Myoga thinks something's happening, but no one knows for sure. He's ordered us to be vigilant on our hunts-making sure everything is as it should be."

"Oh…" Kagome said, her brain shifting into a daze.

"So, I guess you had fun last night?"

"What?" Kagome asked Sango, not quite understanding what she said.

A glint of mischief entered Sango's eyes. "You know what I'm talking about," she said with a smirk. "That's why you came late today. You shouldn't have so much fun when you have work the next morning."

Kagome narrowed her eyes, fighting the blush that was entering her face. "You don't anything," she snapped. Then she paused. "You really know?"

Sango shrugged, a smirk present on her face. "Is it supposed to be some big mystery? Everyone in the whole unit knows that Inuyasha has claimed you, and that you like him, too."

"I don't like him!" Kagome yelled, standing up, the sunglasses still in her hands. She stuffed them into her hair. "I _hate _the basterd. He better not even approach me today. I swear to God, if he does, he'll be the one they're inspecting at the lab!"

Sango frowned. "Please. Inuyasha growled at any male that even glances your way. Remember what happened last time that man approached you? Inuyasha had to be peeled off of him. The boy had a broken nose and a smashed face."

"Shut up, Sango."

"I have a right to talk trash, Kagome. You kept me up all night last night with sounds that I'd rather not hear."

This time, Kagome did blush. _'Were Inuyasha and I that loud last night?'_

"You heard us?" Kagome asked, in embarrassment.

Sango rolled her eyes. "Of course I did, who didn't?" She paused. "Actually, everyone within a ten mile radius could have heard you two."

"Oh, fuck!" Kagome snapped as she stomped out of the locker room, a scowl on her face. She stomped right into the gym area. The area was big, holding different sections. To the left, was the workout area, filtered with exercise machines and weights bunked together. To the right, a whole section of the floor was wood, and right over the wooden floor, was a wall filled with various weapons. The weapons ranged from short daggers, to a massive boomerang, which Sango sometimes used on her hunts. There was also a long golden staff, made out of pure gold with hanging rings on the end. No one really used that except for Miroku. To use it properly, one had to have enough spiritual energy. With Miroku coming from a long line of monks, he was able to use it to his advantage. But he didn't use it often, referring to engage in combat with his hands and guns.

In the center of the large room, was a floor covered with mats. This section was used for physical combat practice, such as fighting. The punching bags hung from the ceiling and that's what Kagome went for. She walked up to it quickly, raising her hand to get ready to punch. Her fists collided with the punching bag so hard, it swung back. Before it even got close to her again, Kagome landed a swift kick to it, sending it swinging away again.

With every punch, every kick she landed, a swell of anger was brought out with it. But instead of filtering her anger as was her first attention, the anger continued to build, replacing the previously lost emotion. Her attacks were strong, letting lose small grunts and shallow breaths as she quickly tired herself out with the punching bag. But every time she thought she should stop, his face seemed to appear and she would start her attacks all over again, with more vigor. With one loud cry of anger, drawing the attention of the other slayers in the gym, Kagome landed a swift kick to the punching bag. The thick leather that was the punching bag, somehow burst, spilling sand all over the gym floor.

"What did the punching bag ever do to her?" Miroku wondered as he sat in the exercise section of the gym, watching as Kagome moved on to the next punching bag that was lined up. He turned to Sango who was on one of the exercise machines. "Weren't you supposed to talk to her?"

Sango shrugged, never stopping her exercise. "I tried; I guess I just made the situation worst."

Miroku nodded, placing his Playboy magazine in his lap. "Damn right you made it worst. The last time I saw Kagome that made was in college; when that girl started spreading rumors abut her." Miroku turned his attention from Sango and Kagome when he saw someone enter the gym. He groaned out loud. It was Inuyasha. "Excuse me for a moment," Miroku said as he quickly got up, his magazine miraculously forgotten as he hurried over to Inuyasha who was still by the door. He was glancing around, and a smirk grew on his face when he noticed Kagome.

Miroku reached him before he could continue his advances. "Inuyasha," Miroku warned as he came closer "Don't you dare."

Inuyasha cast a bored glance at Miroku. "Hey, pervert. How was the meeting this morning?"

Miroku narrowed his eyes. "You would have known, had you been there."

Inuyasha shrugged indifferently. "I'm not the type of person who's able to sit for so long."

"I've noticed."

Inuyasha glared. "In case you didn't know, I have business to attend to." He walked around Miroku; intent on going over to Kagome who still hadn't noticed his arrival. He stopped suddenly, his face going into shock and confusion as he witnessed Kagome as she destroyed another punching bag. "What the hell is she doing?"

Miroku walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder with a sigh, as he shook his head back and forth. "If you value your life, you wouldn't approach her."

"Why the hell is she doing that? Damn, somebody must have pissed her off."

Miroku stared at him as if he was inept. "It was you, you jack ass. You pissed her off."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "She's always pissed at me, no matter what I do. What the hell did I do this time?"

"I have no idea, but I wouldn't approach her. She's pissed enough without your…further meddling…"

Inuyasha shrugged. "I know just the way to turn that angry energy into useful energy."

Miroku's hand slipped from Inuyasha's shoulder as the semi-werewolf made his way to his prey. Miroku shook his head. "They say I'm a perv…" Miroku turned on his heel and walked across the gym to the exercise section with Sango. He slumped into his chair, picking up his dirty magazine and resuming his reading.

"Well?" Sango asked, as she finally stepped off of the machine, patting her chest dry from all of her perspiration with a small white towel. "Did you talk to Inuyasha? I saw you go over to him."

Miroku kept his eyes on his reading. "Yes, I spoke to the fool."

"And…?"

"Do you think we should cremate him, or burry him so everyone will get to visit him at once?" Miroku asked, as he allowed the magazine to fall back in his lap.

"That bad?"

"Worse," Miroku concluded.

"She just might kill him. She was dead pissed when I talked to her in the locker room. She's pissed that he...well, you know…took her again last night…" Sango finished off with a blush.

Miroku's sly, lecherous grin crept upon his face. He was up in one swift motion; his arms circling around Sango's waist from behind, his hands resting on the naked skin of her stomach. He dipped his mouth until his lips brushed against the tender skin of her collarbone, his hot breath rushing over her skin in a heated rush. "Now, Sango," he whispered huskily against her skin, "We could…possible continue what Inuyasha and Kagome did last night, if that's what you're suggesting?"

Sango stiffened, a blush coloring her seething face. Miroku watched with pleasure as the blush crept from her face to her neck. "Get off of me, you God damn pervert!" Sango grabbed his hands, which were still located on her stomach, gripped them and flung herself away from him, her blush still apparent. She turned on her heel to face him, and, not even missing a beat, her palm collided with the side of his face, the collision causng her hand to sting and turn red. "You better be glad that I didn't get my boomerang on you. Consider yourself lucky I didn't put a bullet in your ass." She whispered to him, her voice harsh. She turned, her back to him, and stomped off to the center of the gym where Kagome was located.

Miroku watched her walk away, his cheek still stinging with the hit. He sighed deeply as his eyes wandered to her retrieving backside. He rubbed his cheek which was still red. He couldn't help himself around her. Just the though of her-a woman being able to inflict pain on him was…_exciting._ He'd never met someone like her before, someone with so much soul and sprit that he couldn't resist but to draw that passion out of her. His eyes sparkled as other ways to draw her passion out came to mind.

He sighed blissfully. "Fuck, what a woman…"

Inuyasha approached Kagome from behind, still watching curiously as she attacked each punching bag. He approached her, his eyes roaming her back. When he was close enough, his large hands gripped her small waist, stopping her actions immediately. "Hey, Baby. What are you-?" A delicate elbow found its way to his stomach, cutting him off efficiently. His hands dropped form her hips in surprised, a small grunt passing from his lips. Kagome quickly spun on her heel, glaring at Inuyasha as he held his stomach and looked at her in confusion.

"What the fuck, Bitch!" he exclaimed. He blinked, taking in her face. Here beautiful blue eyes were narrowed, her chest heaving as ragged breaths were pushed out her lungs. "Bitch, what's wrong with you?"

With a sudden cry of frustration, Kagome lunged at Inuyasha. "I'm not your fucking Bitch!" Her blow caught him by surprised. Having no time to defend himself, or even jump out of the way to avoid her blow, her punch connected with his jaw, his head whipping to the side. Inuyasha's eyes widened as his brain progressed what just happened. In astonishment, his hand slowly came up to touch his jaw. He had no time to do anything else when another blow hit him, this time his chest. He staggered back, shaken out of his surprised state just in time to avoid Kagome's next blow. His fierce eyes locked with hers, when he found his ground. "Did you just _hit_ me?" he growled at her.

Kagome came at him again, and again, Inuyasha moved, this time snatching her and slamming her back against his hard chest. When she began to struggle, he only tightened his hold on her. "What the fuck is wrong with you!" He could feel her anger rolling off of her. The amount alone was staggering. What had he done to cause so much anger from her? "Kagome!" She hadn't given up on her struggling, trying retrieve her arms that were pressed against her sides by his rock hard grip around her upper body. She let loose a sound of frustration when she couldn't get loose. A sound that sounded almost like a growl. Inuyasha bite his lip to keep himself from groaning.

She sagged suddenly, out of breath when she realized she couldn't win this battle. But her body was tense, trying to have as less body contact as possible, even in this position. "Let me go," she snapped, her breath tired.

His grip instinctively tightened. "I will if you try to not murder me."

"Fine." Her voice was soft, defeated.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed, but his grip loosened slightly. "Why do I get the impression that I don't believe you?"

She shrugged as best as she could in the position. "You can kick my ass anyway. Are you afraid of me?"

Inuyasha snorted loudly, finally releasing her. "I'm not afraid of you, Bitch." He gripped her shoulders, turning her to face him. Her head was dipped down, hiding her face from his view. She looked up slowly, a small smirk on her face. Inuyasha was instantly suspicious. But when she suddenly pressed against him, her soft curves pressing against his body, all coherent thoughts were thrown from his head. She tucked her head neatly under his chin, making sure her warm breath rushed on the skin of his neck. "I'm sorry…" she murmured against his skin. She allowed a hand to snake around his waist, her slender fingers finding the bottom of his shirt and lifting it up to caress the skin of his back.

Inuyasha knew he shouldn't trust her, that much was obvious. But when her fingers touched him, his body felt enflamed, his breath turning just a bit shallow. His strong arm twisted around her waist. "It's…it's okay," he chocked out, his eyes half closed in pleasure.

"It's just," Kagome started again, "I'm pissed is all…" Her knee suddenly rammed into his front. A sudden déjà vu flashed through Inuyasha's eyes as he fell, flat on his back on the ground of Kagome's feet. "Really, really pissed!" she yelled, bringing her heel down to his chest.

Inuyasha's quick reflexes allowed him to catch her foot. With a rough yank, Kagome was also on her back…with Inuyasha on top of her.

"You sneaky wench!" he hissed, his eyes flashing gold.

Before she managed to spit out a retort, a yell caught both of their attention.

"Kagome, Inuyasha! I see you guys are having fun, huh?"

Inuyasha growled, angry for being interrupted. His semi-golden gaze left the female beneath him, to glance up. "Reko…" he growled. "What the fuck do _you_ want? You're supposed to be upstairs with security-guarding the elevator."

Reko frowned. He patted his gun at his hip. "Oh, yeah, that. It's all taken care of." His eyes took in his position and he sighed. "Damn it, Inuyasha. Give the girl a break before you jump her bones again, will you? You already have her pissed as hell at you."

As if on cue, Kagome, who was tired of being ignored, grabbed a handful of Inuyasha's hair and tugged. "Get off me!"

Inuyasha looked down at her, as if just remembering she was there. In a fluid motion, he was up, with her still in his arms. She jerked away from him. "Don't touch me," she snapped.

"What crawled up your ass and died?" Inuyasha asked, tired of her attitude.

Kagome ignored him as she turned to Reko. "What do you want?"

Reko smirked. "I'm here to protect you, just as we discussed this morning. Remember?"

"What?" Inuyasha snarled, eyes focusing on Reko. "Protect her from what!" His hand snapped out and smashed Kagome to his side, a warning growl vibrating in his chest.

Reko held his hands up in a sign of peace. "Calm down, Inuyasha. I'm just here to tell you that Myoga has ordered you to the lab. Sango and Miroku are already down there, waiting for you. He stated it was an emergency, and that you go quickly."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "Why couldn't he tell us himself?"

"Because, he's busy. And I'm the only one who has the pass to the lab on this floor, ass hole," Reko stated.

Before Inuyasha could say anything, Kagome pushed herself away from Inuyasha and walked up to Reko. "Let's go," she muttered, walking to the elevator without a second look at Inuyasha.

"As you command, Kagome," Reko said with mocking sweetness, all of it directed to Inuyasha.

As the three entered the lab, they were greeted with a gust of smoke. "What the fuck?" Inuyasha growled, covering his nose. "What _is_ that?"

"That…is out knew experiment," Myoga stated, as he made his way over to them.

"Well, what the hell is it? It's making my eyes water!" Inuyasha chocked.

"That means it's doing its job. Come on, we have a lot to discuss."

The three followed the Myoga further into the lab. The whole lab was always dark and dank, and the air was always stale, a result from all of the chemicals that were being used. As they walked in further, they past countless amounts of tables all piled with tubes filled with experimental liquid and open books, opened and abandoned. The scientist who worked in the lab were all hunched over, diligently working on their project. Myoga lead them to the back of the lab and they passed through the doors that lead to the autopsy room.

"Why are we going in here?" Kagome asked confused.

"I need to show you a creature that one of the other units took down last night. There is something unusual about it."

'_I know…it can probably talk, too…' _Kagome thought. Just the thought caused a shiver of fear to run down her spine. They neared an old metal door that was already rusting. Myoga managed to open it up, and, with a few grunts, they continued on. When they reached the room, Kagome noticed that Miroku and Sango were already crowded around a big table. The table was covered with a white blanket, and Kagome didn't even have to be told what it was. She already noticed the thick, black furred covered paw that was hanging off of the side of the table.

"Come look," Myoga said, as he walked over to the table and drew the sheet back. His hands were already covered with white gloves. Kagome walked up, standing next to Sango and Miroku. Reko and Inuyasha however, stood closer to the creature than Kagome would even dare.

"What's the big deal?" Reko asked, into the silence. "It looks normal to me."

"Its eye," Miroku spoke up.

"Its eye?" Inuyasha questioned. "What about its eye?"

"It's red," Sango said. "When Myoga showed it to us before you came down, the color of its eye was red."

"A red eyed werewolf?" Kagome asked. "Are you sure? It could have just been the flicker of light or something."

Myoga shook his head. "It was red alright. Look." He reached over and peeled back the thick eye lid of the creature, reveling a blood red, unseeing eye.

"Oh, shit," Kagome muttered.

"The scientists believe it to be a mutation," Myoga explained. "But with so many blood samples, they haven't been able to pinpoint the exact cause. The DNA of each is exactly the same. Even this one is no different from the others." He sighed in frustration, pulling he blanket back over the dead werewolf. "We have a dead end. But with the increased attacks happening lately, we know something is going on."

"It talked to me," Kagome sudden blurted out.

"What?" Myoga asked, not understanding what she was talking about.

Kagome took a deep breath. She had been putting it off for long enough. It would be best to tell them all now-all at once so she could get it over with. But how insane would she sound explaining to them that this thing did indeed communicate with her? She wouldn't be able to handle it if they shut her down. But wasn't it important? It could be connected with the increased attacks that were occurring lately. She swallowed the forming lump in her throat. "I said: the werewolf talked to me. Yesterday night when Inuyasha and I were fighting it."

"Kagome, I don't understand," Myoga insisted. "Are you somehow now able to understand, like Inuyasha?"

She shook her head "No. This…it really _talked_ to me, like how I'm talking right now. It said…something about wanting to take us to its Master…"

"Master?" Inuyasha growled. "What Master?" His eyes stared at Kagome's face. "Are you absolutely _sure_ that this thing talked to you?"

"Yes!" Kagome snapped. "Do you think I would lie to you about this!"

"Kagome, calm down. It's all right." Myoga assured.

"It's all right that a creature that can't even move its jaw, was talking?" Sango demanded her eyes wide.

"It makes sense," Myoga said. "It makes perfect sense. That's why I've brought you down here to look at this. The sudden appearance of the red eyes isn't the only thing different. Our other Head Quarters, located in Romania, has reported similar findings."

"And you never told us!" Miroku yelled at him. "If it was so important, we should have been informed."

"The news just came in three nights ago," Myoga explained.

"Three nights too late," Miroku snapped.

Myoga sighed. "Listen, in Romania, the increased attacks is more dangerous than they are here. At one point, they even had an attack in broad daylight."

"Daylight?" Inuyasha asked. "That's impossible! Their skin can't withstand the suns beams, how could they be strong enough to attack in the day?"

"They weren't. According to the reports, the werewolf was very weak. They managed to take it down with one hit."

"What the hell is going on?" Sango questioned to herself.

"I don't know," Myoga said, "but you guys are going to find out. The slayers in Romania are in great need. With the increased attacks, there have also been increased casualties."

Inuyasha tensed, his whole body going rigid. His fist clenched at his sides, nails digging into his palm. He shook his head slightly, knowing what Myoga was going to say. His black eyes tried to concentrate, tried to focus on what Myoga was going to say, even though he knew. He couldn't escape the inevitable, why had he even thought he could? He should have known…he should have known that he would have to go back-that he would have to end up their again. His eyes faded in and out, not able to grab onto something and hold on to reality. He shook his head, knowing he couldn't stay, knowing he couldn't listen to what Myoga was going to say. He had to leave, had to escape from hearing the words. His ears pressed against his scalp.

He took a step back, slowly, subtly inching towards the door. _'I'll have to go back…'_ he thought to himself. _'I'll have to go back to where…where he died…'_ His took another step back, doing his best not to be noticed. His blood howled in his veins, his heart thumped in his chest…he couldn't take it. He'd deal with it later, but not now, not when he could avoid it, if just the words. He was out the room and no one even noticed.

"Pack your bags," Myoga said. "You're going to Romania."

* * *

End When the Darkness Howls (For now.) 


	4. SIR COUTRAGE

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor do I own the Inuyasha characters and storyline.**_

_QUOTE OF THE CHAPTER:_

"**For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack."  
Rudyard Kipling **

_**WHEN THE DARKNESS HOWLS**_

CHAPTER 4: SIR COUTRAGE

**  
**

It was already getting dark when they reached the mansion.

The car pulled up silently in front of the gate, its automatic doors opening with a soft click. Inuyasha stepped out of the car first, the others followed behind him. Kagome was the last to step out, and the last to finally see the mansion they would be staying in until further notice. The first thing that came to Kagome's mind when she saw it was the old scary stories her father used to tell her when she was young. The house just astounded her. Everything about it just screamed that something was…unusual.

As soon as they were fully out of the vehicle, the doors closed, and the car was already going around the bend. Kagome watched it until it disappeared out of sight. She stood up fully; glad she could finally stretch out her legs from the long car ride. She glanced up at Inuyasha. He had been oddly quiet lately. In fact, ever since they found out they were heading to Romania to further research and help the other slayers, he'd barely spoken. In that short time, even when he blessed someone by talking to them, the remark was always caustic and snappish. All in all, he was acting like a bastard.

Her eyes traveled form the semi-werewolf to the house, once again. The mansion was built on top of a small hill, overlooking the rest of the city. At the entrance of the mansion, where the cement walkway began, stood two tall, thick pillars. At the top of each pillar, was a small statue of a gargoyle, its deformed body resting on top of each pillar, small stubby hands extended as its sharp claws sprang out of its hands. Their faces were twisted to something similar to smirk, though, with the sharp teeth protruding from its mouth, the smirk was anything but friendly

Kagome made a disgusted face at the grotesque figures, but said nothing. The house was all black, from the roof, all the way down to the ugly pillars that marked its entrance. The mansion had many different levels of towers, chained with various sizes of windows. One tower stood out in particular, dwarfing the others, with no windows, the roof was small and pointed.

"Are we going to just stand here all night, or are we going to walk in?"

Miroku always had to be the one to break the silence.

Inuyasha stepped up. "Com on," he said in a gruff voice. "I'm not sleeping outside."

"This house is…weird," Sango stated.

"What did you want it to look like?" Kagome asked, knowing exactly what Sango was feeling.

"Come on!" Inuyasha snapped, already halfway up the cement path.

"What the hell is his problem?" Miroku asked no one in particular.

The three that were left behind began to walk up. Kagome was behind Sango and Miroku, walking slowly as she took in the mansion from afar. As she walked past the pillars, she took one last glance at the gargoyles and froze in shock. She turned, giving the statues her full attention. She peered closer, her eyes surprisingly better in the dark. When she saw nothing, she began to walk again, but, for some reason, it felt as if someone was watching her. She could have sworn that when she had glanced at the statues, their stone carved eyes had flashed, as if sensing her stares. But when she looked again, everything was how it should be.

She walked on, her hand instinctively going to her gun in her holster as she continued to feel the boring stare on the back of her head. Yes, she was sure of it now. Something was unusual about this mansion. She would have to keep her guard up. They reached the door, which was all metal, it seemed. It was huge, towering above them.

"There's…no doorknob, or a doorbell," Miroku observed.

Inuyasha, who was closest to the door, banged his fist on the metal door. The sound was almost deafening, and Kagome once again felt the pounding of her ears. She covered her ears with her hands, glowering at Inuyasha. She saw that his ears were pressed to his head in order to muffle the sound. "Stop it," she yelled, desperate for the sound to stop. In the end, it was Sango who stopped him, jerking his fist from the door.

"What the _hell_ is the matter with you?" Sango screamed at him, efficiently pushing him aside and taking his position closest to the door. "You don't just go and bang on someone's door. It's completely rude!"

"Agreed, Inuyasha," Miroku added. "How would it look if we were to bang on everyone's door wherever we go?"

"My…head…" Kagome muttered, hands still over her ears. She glared up at Inuyasha, "You idiot…"

A flash of concern filtered across Inuyasha face, before it disappeared as quickly as it came. "So-"

The door opened, catching all of their attentions. It opened slowly, as if not really wanting to allow them in. The metal hinges, screaming, as they were forced to move. Inuyasha's ears pressed against his scalp in an effort to banish the sound, and of course, Kagome's hands were pressed against her ears harder than before. The door opened, slowly, unwillingly, and a sense of anxiety bounced through Kagome's body as it opened wider, still, revealing only darkness to the inside. Her hand crawled to her hip, touching her gun lightly, as if reassured she had a weapon…just in case.

The door opened and a man was finally revealed.

Short, old and white as he was, his face was what got to the group. It was old, so very old; the wrinkles slashing lines across his face, drooping skin that folded over in some places, and the unforgettable paleness of his flesh. Stark white as if dead already, but having an astonishing green tinge to it, as if he was sick from food poisoning. His eyes were dark, watery pitiless pools that held no emotion-no life. Pointed, thin, pink lips were set in a tight straight line, his white, bald head being covered by a worn out brown cap. Dressed in black, loose pants and a white shirt with a bowtie, he was the image that greeted them at the door.

The group stared in a mixture of shock, disgust and astonishment.

Miroku spoke first.

"Excuse me; we are the visitors from Tokyo, sent by a Mr. Myoga."

The man at the door nodded, his shape outlined by darkness still. The group didn't see a speck of light in the mansion. The short, ugly man stepped to the side. "Come in, please. I am the butler, Jaken." His voice was like grated gravel. "Sir Coutrage has been waiting."

As soon as they entered the mansion, still clouded in darkness, the metal door closing behind them, Kagome nearly dropped. Every single hair on her body stood on end, some internal instinct screaming at her that something wasn't right. A feeling of uneasiness crept along her spine like a spider, and she shuddered involuntary. Her eyes widened at the feeling, unconsciously taking in the dark mansion, catching glimpses of things in the dark. Her lungs worked, franticly bringing in shagged breaths. She heard someone take in a deep breath so fast; it made a small whistling sound. She assumed it to be Miroku. Her fingers found her gun at her hip, clutching it so tightly, she was half afraid she would set it off. Something wasn't right; something was so wrong with this place, that even an ignorant child could feel it.

She needed to leave; she needed to get out of this place fast. Now. And then, suddenly, she felt a presence behind her; a presence she knew. Quickly, she pressed her back against Inuyasha as tight and close as she possible could. In some part of her mind, she was angry that she was doing this-angry that she sought out Inuyasha for comfort so quickly. She shouldn't need him to be there for her, she shouldn't need him to protect her from danger. But she couldn't help it. Right then, her body was not her own. Some deep, internal instinct has taken her over and it wanted to be near Inuyasha. And she would let it…for now.

But though Inuyasha was there, Kagome couldn't help but still feel restless. She felt Inuyasha's strong arms wrap around her small waist and pull her closer, his thumb slowly stroking her stomach through her shirt for comfort. Even she-in this defrayed state-could feel his apprehension. She felt it in the tension of his arms and body, in the way his arms almost possessively held her close to him, as if fearing he would loose her to the darkness. She could even feel it in the way his warm breath was coming fast on her neck. She twitched in his hold, and his arms immediately tightened.

"L-Light!" One of them ordered. Kagome figured it was Sango. "Turn on the damn light-now!"

The light flickered on suddenly, causing Kagome to squint with the suddenly brightness. Kagome glanced around, finally able to see the inside of the mansion. To say that the inside was big was an understatement. It was huge. The floor was pure, solid marble, shiny and firm. To the left of them, was the longest staircase Kagome had ever seen. It was black marble, spiraling so high that Kagome had to crane her neck to see where it stopped. With a long, sleek banister following its lead, it was beautiful. On the walls, hung dozens of painted pictures. Kagome peered at them, wanting to get a closer look. She noticed that most of them were pictures of a city-probably of Romania itself. Some were pictures of men; men who were sitting casually around a table, while other pictures just showed them standing there, looking at something that no one could see but them.

Kagome's eyes moved from pictures on the walls, to the huge chandelier that was hanging above them. It was beautiful, also. Kagome could see that it was covered with pure crystals. Kagome glanced back at Miroku and Sango, wondering what they thought of all of this. She noticed-with a great surprise-that Sango was plastered so tightly against Miroku's side, that it was a wonder they weren't connected at the hip. Miroku's face was a mask of absolute caution. He still held the air of tranquility, but Kagome could see, from years of knowing him that his eyes were taking in every single thing around them, mentally storing in his head…just in case.

Sango, on the other hand, had a face of an angry woman-which wasn't very surprising. She was breathing hard, her chest heaving from yelling out the command to turn on the light. Her hand was fisted in the front of Miroku's shirt so tightly, that her knuckles were turning white. And, in the center of the grand hallway, stood the man who had let them into the mansion. He stood quietly: his pale, ugly face observing them all. When he spoke, Inuyasha's hands tightened slightly around Kagome, who was still trapped in his embrace.

"Sir Coutrage will be with us in a moment. Please, be patient."

"Why did you have us standing there in the dark like that?" Sango demanded. "You scared the shit out of me!"

Inuyasha could have sworn he saw the old man's mouth twitch, as if it was the beginning of a smirk. "I am truly sorry for that, Miss Sango. Please, excuse me for my mistake."

"How did you know my name was-?"

"Where is Sir Coutrage?" Inuyasha cut in. His voice was hard, demanding. It raked against Kagome's nerves, bringing her attention from the man to Inuyasha himself. She tried to subtly step out of his hold, not wanting the man to see them both that way. But Inuyasha had other plans. His arms turned into iron bands, not allowing her to move away from him. A soft growl rose in his throat, so soft in fact, that it could only be noticed by the vibrations coming from his chest. Kagome froze. Though the growl was low, she couldn't help but ignore the demanding command it held. _Stay._

Kagome craned her neck to the side and back to see Inuyasha's face. She was shocked to find that his eyes were no longer midnight black, but the raging gold they turned when he was not in a good mood. She gasped, surprised by the sudden change. What caused him to turn like that? Her heart began to beat faster in slight panic. She didn't want to be near him when he was like this. In fact, she didn't want to be near him at all. Now that the light was on, she wasn't shaken anymore. There was no excuse to be plastered against his chest. Again, Kagome tried to be released from his hold, but this time, Inuyasha gave her a verbal command. Never taking is burning eyes away from the old man; Inuyasha dipped his head low enough that his lips just skimmed her ear. He growled three words, low enough for only her to hear. "Don't. Fucking. Move."

Kagome froze.

She felt as if some part of her wanted to jump out and crush Inuyasha to the ground. The other part-the more reasonable part-wanted to obey him. It wanted to listen to him because somewhere, deep down, she knew something wasn't right. And even though Kagome wanted to seriously inflict pain on Inuyasha, she obeyed, waiting until they were alone so she could kill him. But that didn't stop the tension in her body at his rude command, or her fingernails digging into his arms, which were still wrapped tightly around her. She obeyed, her jaw tightened.

"Where is Sir Coutrage?" Inuyasha demanded again. "Don't you think it's rather rude to have his guest waiting?"

Kagome thought that she saw Jaken's eyes narrow-just a bit. She could have imagined it. "Sir Coutrage will be with us shortly, I assure you…Lord Inuyasha," he said, his voice still reeking havoc on everyone's ears. Now, everyone straightened up-not missing the way Jaken said Inuyasha's name. Lord? Kagome could have laughed at the thought of talking to Inuyasha like that. That word, in no way, fit Inuyasha. He was no lord. An idiot, maybe, but no lord. At this, Inuyasha growled deeply, not even trying to hide it.

"Don't call me that," Inuyasha spat. He voice held disgust. "Don't _ever_ call me that."

Jaken's eyes widened at the venom in Inuyasha's voice. He actually looked shocked. "Yes, well…I am very sorry for that, Inuyasha. It will not happen again."

"What the heck is going on, here?" Sango asked, finally pulling herself free from Miroku's side. "Inuyasha, do you know him?"

"No," was Inuyasha's snappish answer.

"Maybe you should go and get Sir Coutrage, Jaken," Miroku said, trying to put a stop to the rising tension in the air.

Jaken turned his dark eyes to Miroku, his face holding a hint of annoyance. "Sir Coutrage is-"

"Right here."

Everyone swallowed their next word and turned their attention towards the new voice. He stood at the top of the spiraling staircase looking down at them. Kagome's and Sango's eyes widen with silent appreciation. He was a good looking man, with looks that would rival even Inuyasha's. He stood still, one of his long, well muscled hands gripping the banister while the other hung casually by his side. He was a tall man, and looked to be about middle aged. He wore nice fitting black slacks with a black shirt. Over that, a loose, long cloak completed the assembly. His face, perfectly round, held the impression of a good tan. Long, light brown hair framed his face, the back of it held in a low ponytail, reaching his mid-back.

He slowly began to descend the stairs, his long, deft fingers running along the banister as he went. His eyes-the color of the sky after a thunder storm-examined them closely, his gaze sweeping over each of them equally. Kagome felt uncomfortable under his gaze, as if he knew something about them that they themselves didn't. Though, his presence wasn't hostile in the least, it still had every single nerve in Kagome's body freezing immediately. She didn't even know this man, but there was just something about him that she didn't like. Sir Coutrage reached the end of the stairs, a mask of slight confusion on his handsome face.

"I present to you, Sir Coutrage." Jaken's voice rang through the silence like lightening in the night. "These people, Sir Coutrage, are the ones who were brought from the Dark Slayers Organization, stationed in Tokyo from a Mr. Myoga."

The confusion vanished from Sir Coutrage's face, then a small smirk-which didn't last more than a millisecond- took its place. Kagome caught the quick gleam of his fangs. He was also a werewolf. Kagome's eyebrows rose at this new discovery. So they were to stay in the home of a wolf, which they knew nothing about, thanks to Myoga.

Kagome blinked, everyone blinked, not having any idea what to say. Sir Coutrage still stood in the same spot, his weird gaze still looking. Inuyasha let out a loud, hot breath, drawing Sir Coutrage's attention to him. Kagome could have imagined it, she could have just misread his eyes, but she saw a flash of hatred flash through his cold, gray gaze. The hatred was so cold, so deep that she almost whimpered at the sight of it. But quickly, it was gone, replaced by the impassive gray of his eyes. She froze in shock and then confusion when Inuyasha's arms suddenly went slack, his hold on her finally released. Kagome took the opportunity to step away from him, not wanting to be prisoner to his arms once again.

She stepped back, stepped back until she felt the reassured hand of Miroku on her shoulder. She had almost forgotten that he and Sango were still there! She turned her confused gaze to look at him and he sent her a small smile. Sango appeared by her shoulder, her fingers pressed against the side of her hip, ready to pull her gun out at any sign of trouble. "Something's wrong with him…" Sango muttered. "Look at Inuyasha."

Kagome did look at him. He was stiff as a stone, his eyes still the blazing golden color it was before. But there was still something out of place about him. Still something that had them all baffled. He seemed…frightened, shocked….but why? He seemed to be in a battle with his feelings, a battle that he wasn't winning. His gaze was glued to Sir Coutrage, confusion written all over his face. Sir Coutrage returned the look, face expressionless.

Kagome took a step forward, close enough for Inuyasha to reach her. "Inuyasha." The simple word seemed to snap him out of his stupor, and in a second, he regained his bearings. His eyes cleared, his body straightened, and his arms were crossed over his chest in an uncaring way.

"Would you like me to show them to their rooms now, Sir," Said Jaken's voice. Everyone had completely forgotten about him.

Sir Coutrage's answer was to completely ignore him. His gaze was still locked with Inuyasha's. Sir Coutrage suddenly smiled. The movement was so unexpected, that it shocked everyone in the room. The smile appeared on his face suddenly. "Bun venit la spre Romania slayers. I hope that al tau calatorie aici was well. I trec de la will hate it pentru al tau primul couple de ora aici were dreadful."

Kagome, Miroku, as well as Sango, stood in confusion, not understanding a single word he had just spoken. Sango, who felt like a child learning to speak, decided to tell him this. She cleared her throat politely, drawing his attention to her. She opened her mouth, praying that he was able to speak and understand Japanese. "It's an honor to meet you, Sir Courage," she began, "But…you see, Sir Coutrage-" She felt as if she was a little girl again under his gaze, a little girl being scolded for marking on the walls. Something about this Sir Coutrage person made her feel a bit inferior, and that was something she did not stand well with. She opened her mouth with renewed confidence. She didn't appreciate this man that she knew nothing about, to suddenly show up and make her feel as if she was undergoing an analysis.

But she never got the chance to finish he sentence, because Inuyasha broke in.

"Our plimbare aici was fin." His voice was snappish, annoyed. But not only that, his voice was perfect handling the language, much to Kagome's utter awe. Though what he said was short, his words and pronunciations were flawless, his letters coming together to form the perfect sounds, the exact tone that each word needed to be spoken properly. If Miroku, Sango and Kagome didn't know any better, they would have thought that Inuyasha spoke the language fluently, or better yet, contained some Romanian roots.

"You-you speak the Romanian language?" Sango asked, shocked. Inuyasha decided not to answer her.

"Tu speak art.hot. limbaj foarte well. I trec.de la will have thought that tu ai forgotten cum la spre," was Sir Coutrage's reply to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Ce esti tu implying?" he snarled. His emotions took over so fast, that even he was surprised by it. This stupid fuck! _'Does he_ _know'_, Inuyasha thought wildly_. 'Does he know about me?'_ Inuyasha narrowed his eyes suspiciously. _'He can't know…he doesn't know me…he didn't know_ _him…'_ But even as he told himself this, something deep inside of Inuyasha was in turmoil. Somewhere, deep inside he felt as if he knew this man, as if he had met him before. His scent…his cold, gray eyes…they seemed to pierce his very soul with recognition.

Sir Coutrage smirked at Inuyasha's loss of temper. "Tu mustata a fi Inuyasha. Myoga has told eu despre al tau temperat tantrums. Nothing I wont a fi capabil la spre miner."

Inuyasha growled, his face showing pure evil. "Fucking bastard!" he swore.

Sango's eyes widened in shock, and then narrowed in anger. "I don't appreciate you two having a conversation, while we're standing here like idiots."

Sir Coutrage's smirk vanished, and one again turned to Sango, taking in her vexed state. "Ce un loud unul , ea este. Ea mustata a fi Cintat I presume." His eyes traveled to Miroku, who was desperately trying to calm down both Kagome and Sango. He didn't seem to be going far. Sir Coutrage raised an eyebrow. "UN Monk? Interesant."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome's voice rang through the whole room. "You better tell him to speak Japanese. It's rude to leave us in the dark like that, and you damn well know better!"

Sir Coutrage's eyes widened and a small smirk crept on his face. "Si ea este…?

"MINE!" Inuyasha's roar was so loud, that all occupants of the room froze in surprise. "You even go _close_ to her, I _will _kill you." The threat hung thickly in the air; its ominous essence pressing down on everyone. Inuyasha's very temper had gone well beyond angry, well beyond pissed. His eyes held something that was wild and untamed; they had become dark with his growing anger. His fangs even seemed to grow longer, his claws digging into his palm so deep, a small trickle of blood ran down his clenched fingers and slowly dripped to the beautiful marble floor.

"Un deget mic overprotective, esti noi?" Sir Coutrage said, with show of clear disgust on his face. "Si la spre un human, nu mai mic. Well, sau nu surprising.…"

"Inu…Inuyasha…" Kagome's voice came out as a breathless whisper, not able to do much else. Kagome had never seen Inuyasha in such a state as he was in now. And to be honest, it scared the shit out of her. She had seen him overtaken with rage. She had seen him overtaken with want for her, but never had she seen him like this. Kagome turned accusing eyes to Sir Coutrage. She felt an enormous wave of possessiveness. She wasn't-at the moment-in her right mind to think about why or where it had come from, only that it was suddenly there fueling her. No one had the right to make Inuyasha that mad. No one except for her. What had he done to cause Inuyasha to act like this?

"I don't know who you think you are, and frankly, I don't give a shit. But you have no right to make Inuyasha angry like that! What did you do-"

Miroku cut her off before she could finish her sentence, doing his best to try and pull together any remaining dignity he had in the presence of his crazy friends. He sighed and said, "Sorry for their…weird behavior, Sir Coutrage. Everyone is just tired from the trip. Please excuse their language." He prayed that the man understood, or at least that Inuyasha would translate for him. "Uh…do you speak Japanese?"

But Sir Coutrage was not even looking at him anymore. He was talking to Inuyasha again. "Tu mean la spre spune-mi cum that Myoga has trimis al tau prieten aici fara knowledge de la Roman limbaj?"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "Speak Japanese," he growled. "I know that you can." His body still shook with his rage. The man had the gall to play it off as if he didn't even do anything.

"Art.hot. monk seems la spre a fi art.hot. unic decently mannered unul."

"Speak Japanese!"

Sir Coutrage's jaw twitch. "As tu dorinta." He turned to address the rest of the group-in Japanese. "I am sorry for the miscommunication, but I assumed that you all were fluent in the language."

Kagome said nothing; she only continued to stare, long and hard at this Sir Coutrage. The bastard. After all of that; after completely ignoring them, after being able to speak Japanese the whole time, after pissing Inuyasha off, as well as herself, he had the nerve to say it was all just a 'miscommunication.' The fucker.

"Jaken."

The butler seemed to appear out of no where, as if he belonged with the shadows himself. Kagome eyed his ugly face with pure disgust. "Yes, Sir Coutrage?"

Sir Coutrage waved a muscled, clawed hand in the air. "Take them to their room, Jaken. I am sure they are very tired from their travels." His eyes did a quick scan of all of them. "I will see you in the morning. That is when you will meet the other slayers at the Romanian Head Quarters. I will leave you now. Good night." His eyes lingered on Inuyasha a moment longer, before he was gone, disappearing down the hall way filled with pictures of men with no life in their eyes.

Jaken immediately took to his duty. Stepping in front of them, he said curtly, "Follow me, if you will." He turned his old, frail body, and began to approach the stairs. Slightly hesitating, Sango was the first to follow, then Miroku. Kagome was right behind Miroku. But she paused and turned to take a look at Inuyasha, who still hadn't moved one inch. His fist was still clenched, and it was then that Kagome noticed the slightly dried blood on his hands. She sighed, shaking her head. Pivoting on her foot, she walked towards him and didn't stop until she was directly in front of him.

"You coming, or not?"

He didn't answer.

"How do you now how to speak Romanian?"

Again, no response. She took a glance behind her, and noticed that Miroku, Sango and Jaken were disappearing somewhere on the second floor. She turned her head to look back at him. His eyes were still gold, she noticed.

"If you're not going to answer me, just stay there and brood for all I care," she snapped. She turned from him quickly, walking briskly to the stairs. All the way she could still feel his eyes boring into the back of her head. At some point when she was walking up the stairs, after what seemed like an eternity, she heard his movements as he too, began to walk up the stairs. He said nothing as he continued to walk and when Kagome finally reached the second floor, the floor she was sure that Miroku and Sango had disappeared on, she spotted Jaken waiting patiently against the wall. For a second, Kagome didn't even see him, what with his dark uniform blending into the wall. But his white-greenish face hardly blended in with the black colored wall.

"Are you ready for me to show you to your room?" he asked her, his hands crossed behind his back.

Kagome nodded quickly, just wanting for him to be out of her line of sight. Jaken peeled himself from the wall and began to walk down the hall, just as soon as Inuyasha made it to the top of the stairs. Kagome didn't even bother to look back at him. If he wasn't in the mood to talk, she wouldn't force him to, right? After all, she was the one who wanted to stay clear from him unless it was business. She faltered in her step. But this was business. This involved all of them and their job. She began walking again. But that didn't explain why Inuyasha knew how to speak the language fluently. Her eyes narrowed.

The bastard was hiding something.

And she would have to find out what he was keeping from her, as well as the rest of the group. As they passed two closed doors, Jaken informed her, "The door on your right is Miss Sango; the one on the left, Mr. Miroku." Kagome made a mental note to remember that…just in case. As they continued on down the hallway, Kagome noticed that these walls were too, lined with pictures. Not only that, but on side tables, stood small antiques that looked priceless. The whole house just screamed money…as well as danger. And though Kagome knew that Inuyasha was somewhere behind her, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched…it was the same feeling she felt when she saw the gargoyles.

Kagome was so lost in thought and feeling, she nearly crashed into Jaken. She backed up quickly, not wanting to make bodily contact with him. She only ended up crashing into a firm chest. Surprised, she spun around, and wasn't to surprised to find that Inuyasha was standing there. She stumbled away from him, surprised that he had caught up so quickly. "So you've finally decided to join us," she said annoyingly. "Took you long enough." She wasn't surprised when he only glanced at her, before looking away, saying nothing. Her fingers twitched with the need to slap the shit out of him. He was acting so out of character, that it was scary. Biting her tongue, she turned and continued to follow Jaken around a bend in the hallway.

Jaken finally stopped in front of a door. "This is your room," he said, addressing Kagome. He turned to Inuyasha and pointed to another door at the end of the hallway. "This is your room, Mr. Inuyasha." He bowed, deeply. "Breakfast will be served at 8:00. Everything that you need is in your rooms already, and you will be brought to breakfast by the maid tomorrow morning. Have a good night sleep." He turned and began to walk the way they had come, leaving the two alone in the hall.

When Inuyasha was sure he was gone, he turned to Kagome, his gaze narrowed. "Do _not_ walk these hallways by yourself. You understand me?"

Kagome's face registered stubbornness. "We, Inuyasha are not back home in Japan. So in case you haven't noticed, you have no right to start ordering me around." She paused. "And never had the right to try and order me around at home, either." Another pause, this time waiting for him to say something to her-anything, instead of just stare at her like he was. "Good night."

She turned and made for the bedroom door. A pair of quick, strong arms seized her waist and drew her back. "I'm dead serious, Kagome," he growled into her ear. "You better not let me catch you in these halls by yourself. If you're smart, you'll listen to me." Then, holding on to her waist with one hand, he opened her bedroom door and shoved her into the room. The door slammed in her face before she could even make a comment. A flush of anger rose to her cheeks. She opened her door again, ready to demand his apology, but the sound and sight of his door slamming closed stopped her. Pissed, she slammed her door closed, loudly. It was then that she finally saw the room she was going to be staying in until further notice.

The room was beautiful just like the rest of the house. The first thing she noticed was her bed. Positioned in the middle of the room, it drew her attention quickly. The covers, she noticed with shock and pleasure, was pure silk, and it was the color of a pale blue. It was a king sized bed, a size she wasn't used to sleeping in, but she knew she would enjoy it.

The color of the walls was a pure white. The carpet was so lush and soft, that she could even feel it through her shoes. She noticed that her suitcases were lined up against the walls. Walking toward it, she quickly went through everything, making sure that all of her possessions were there. When she was sure she had everything, she pulled out her sleep clothes, and walked towards the door she assumed was the bathroom.

When she was all washed up and dressed to sleep, she walked straight to the door. Opening her bedroom door, she paused in confusion when she noticed that the whole hallway was pitch black. Hesitantly, she stepped out, leaving her door open to allow the only source of light to guide her to Inuyasha's door. Stepping out into the hallway, she began her short journey to Inuyasha's room.

She should have stopped at her door. She should have just walked away from it at the moment and gone to bed. She shouldn't have been heading to Inuyasha's room. She saw for herself what kind of mood he was in. If anything, she should have been cautious. But she knew inside that he wouldn't hurt her-no matter what. So, she told herself that as she stepped out into the hallway. But what kept her going was the burning curiosity that was ignited inside of her. She had so many questions she needed to have answered.

She deserved them, as well as Miroku and Sango.

So what if he had warned her to stay in her bedroom. Was she ever one to listen to what he had to say? No. Her bare feet patted along the cold marble floor, the cold numbing her feet. A feeling of dread suddenly filled her. She stopped immediately, sensing the unwanted feeling in her very bones. Her instincts were screaming again, like when they had first entered the house. She turned around and started to head back to her room- thankful for the light. She needed to get her gun. But she stopped again, when she thought she felt the presence of someone behind her. She swung around, her body tight with expectation. Here eyes peered into the darkness. Nothing. The sudden loud creak-the sound that came from a door slowly closing, made her turn towards her bedroom door, just in time to see it slam closed.

And just like that, she was engulfed in darkness.

Her eyes automatically adjusted to the darkness, taking in the shadows of the furniture in the hall. Her heart pounded, her legs felt wobbly and her hands were shaking. On impulse, her hands went to her hip, but they dropped when she remembered she was going to go back in and get it when her door slammed close. For a second, she looked around wildly. Though her vision was somewhat clear for her to see, it still wasn't clear enough for her see every detail, such as a door. She began to walk slowly towards the direction she assumed held Inuyasha's room.

It was a small whisper that stopped her. It was so small, so far away that she was sure she herself shouldn't have been able to hear it. She knew she didn't imagine this. It was not some trick her ears were playing on her, because she heard it again, clearer this time. Her eyes groped the darkness blindly, trying to find the source of the sound. Suddenly, it seemed to be coming in from all around her-the front, back, the sides, even!

"I know you're there," she whispered hoarsely. "You might as well show yourself."

But nothing replied. Only the soft faraway hissing noise that she heard once in a while. Her eyes hurt with the strain of trying to see. The hissing noise suddenly sounded as if it were right by her ear. She swung around so fast, that she stumbled, before catching herself quickly. Her wide eyes caught what she thought was a shadow moving against a shadow-if that was possible. Turning the other way, Kagome ran right into the wall, her palms slapping flat against the cool surface. Keeping her hands on the wall, she quickly began to run sideways towards Inuyasha's door. Every few seconds she would rub her hands around, looking for a knob.

The sounds were getting close-too close. At some point, she thought she felt the small tug of a hand on her pants. Kagome's heart jumped when she felt a door. Praying that it was Inuyasha's she banged on it, cursing each and every second that it took. Maybe it wasn't his door. Maybe she was banging on a stupid closet for all she knew. Then, just when she felt a stronger tug of a piece of her clothing, the door flung open, and she was dragged inside.

Inuyasha stood, still as stone right in front of his closed door. His golden eyes were wide with rage and shock, his whole body trembled with an internal pain so deep and old, that he almost staggered standing there. Rage. That's all he knew at the moment. That's all he could feel. And also the most terrible fear he had felt in a while. When was the last time he saw it? When was the last time he had even touched it? But now, he couldn't even go near it, couldn't stand the sight of it. The thing just lay there silently. And that was the thing that made him angry. It was only an object, but how could such a thing cause so much inner turmoil inside of him?

His teeth were clamped together so tight that his jaw was aching badly by now. He quickly walked to the bed, scooping the long, slick, wooded box in his hands, and shoved it under his new bed. At least there he wouldn't have to see it. Next, he walked over to the phone stationed on his small desk, and dialed. Holding the phone awkwardly to the ears on top of his head, he waited until he heard a masculine voice he recognized.

"Hello?" the groggy man said, after he'd picked up the phone.

"Why did you send it?" Inuyasha didn't have time for pleasant greetings.

There was a pause on the other line, before the man answered. "Inuyasha? I figured you would call soon, but, Inuyasha, here, it's too damn early in the morning, and I would like to get some sleep."

"Why did you send it? Did I ask you to send it, Myoga? In any point in time before we left for Romania, did I tell you that I wanted to bring that with me?" His voice was slowly rising in volume, and he lowered it before he lost total control. He didn't want the occupants of the house knowing his business...

"…no…But, Inuyasha, I just assumed that you would need it with all of the trouble down there. With the unanswered mysteries, you could use as much equipment as you possible need. I was only looking out for your well being."

"Fuck my well being. And fuck you. I didn't want it over here, Myoga. What makes you think that I'll even use it?"

"It's there just in case, Inuyasha. I was only giving you options."

"I said fuck your options. As soon as I get back to Japan, I'm going to-" A loud banging knock paused his conversation. "Myoga, I'll call you back" He hung up the phone quickly and eyed the door. With one long sniff, he had the door open and dragged Kagome inside. He slammed her against the wall, his fist gathered in the front of her shirt. "I told you," he growled menacingly at her. "I fucking told you not to walk the hallways alone! You stupid-" He stopped, just now taking in her condition. She was breathing hard, her warm breath coming out ragged and shallow. Her hands gripped his arm that was holding her, her fingernails digging into his skin, her eyes wide and glassy. "What the hell happened?" he demanded.

Her hand slid from his arm to his chest, shoving him away. He backed away from her, giving her space. "Where's your fucking gun?"

"What? I said what happened-what's wrong with you?"

"Your gun, Inuyasha. I need it-something's out there in that damn hallway and I'm not going to bed until I kill it!"

Inuyasha approached her again, his face grim and fangs bearing. "What did you see?"

"I saw a shadow…but it was dark- I can't be sure. I heard this noise. It was there, Inuyasha, it touched me."

"Where?" he snarled. He was suddenly pressed against her tightly, her body smashed between his chest and the wall. His nose was stuffed in the curve of her neck, sniffing vigorously. Kagome tried to squirm away from him, but it was in vain. "Where did it fucking touch you?"

"I just felt a tug on my clothing, that's all. Now go…away!" She finally managed to escape from his search and took a step back from him. "This house is not safe, Inuyasha. We can't stay here-I know Miroku and Sango will agree with me, too."

"That's why I fucking told you to stay in your room!" he growled at her.

"You do not tell me what to do! I had a reason to be out of my room, you twit."

"I don't give a damn what your reason is. You could have gotten yourself killed!" The sudden realization tore a menacing growl from his throat, and Kagome suddenly remembered her brief hesitation in coming over here. As his gold eyes bore into hers with rage, and his hands clenched tightly, reopening his previous wounds from his claws, she could only stand there, not knowing what to do. Her eyes drifted down to his bloody hands, and the only thing she was able to say was, "Your hands are bleeding."

Inuyasha slowly released his clenched hands and turned away from her with a snarl. "Fuck it all!" Kagome watched as he stomped across the room to fling open the big window. The warm air rushed into the room, blowing back Inuyasha's bangs. He stood there, his bloody hands gripping the windowsill, his tall, stiff form blocking the whole window, his head staring straight ahead. Kagome tapped her foot and waited for him to say something-anything to her. She waited for him to try and order her around. She waited for him to growl at her again, to shove her to the wall and kiss her against her will. But he did nothing; all he did was look out the window into the night.

Eventually, Kagome grew tired of waiting. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," he replied. He didn't even turn around to look at her.

"Your hands are _still_ bleeding."

"Let them fucking bleed, then."

"You're an asshole."

"You're a stubborn wench."

"Why, thank you. What are we going to do about what happened in the hallway?"

"You're not going back out there until the morning,"

"I don't think I can stand to be in a room with a wild wolf." Her comment had the desired affect. His claws dug into the windowsill until gashes were left.

"You have no choice. If you would have listened to me, you could still be in your own room!" he yelled.

Happy that she was finally getting some form of emotion from him, she kept going. "You can't keep me here. I'm going right back out there to find out what the hell attacked me."

This time, he turned his head, his golden eyes burning her skin. "You're lying. I can smell it."

"You said yourself: I'm a stubborn wench. Who is to say I can't lie to myself?"

"I'll yank you back from that door before you can even reach it." He turned to her fully, one bloody hand still holding the windowsill.

"Mm." She walked past him to the bathroom. She came back out with a wet rag. She threw it at his head where it hung limply from one of his ears. She tried hard not to laugh at the sight. "Clean your hands up. They look disgusting." Silently, she watched as he raised a hand and retrieved the rag from his ear and began to clean his hands. When he was done, she took a step back. "So, have you ever been to Romania before?" He didn't pause in his work, but she noticed the immediate tension in his body. "So, who taught you how to speak Romanian?"

"Enough of your questions, Bitch!"

"Why did Jaken call you 'Lord'?"

"Mind your business!"

"And what did Sir Coutrage say to make you so pissed?"

He was on her before she could even blink, his lips crashing down with such intensity, her knees almost buckled under the pressure of his mouth. His strong arms encircled her small waist and had her pressed so tightly against his body, that she felt as if she was one with him. His tongue roughly peeled back her surprised lips and delved into her mouth. His tongue took everything from her, caressing ever single hidden cavern he could find, every dip and slide he could taste. His tongue ran sensually over her teeth before once again exploring her mouth.

Kagome was in a complete sense of shock, her eyes wide, her hands braced against his broad shoulders for balance. When he nipped harshly at her bottom lip, drawing blood, she gasped, trying to pull away. He allowed her to, but he never released his strong hold on her. Her head swam, her blood rushed to her face, and when her head was finally clear, she slapped him full across the face. His head didn't even move with the impact; his eyes stayed strained on the drop of blood on her bottom lip.

"How many times do I have to hurt you to make you understand!" she screamed at him. "Don't do that! It's not what I came over here for."

"Well, what is a _wild wolf_ supposed to think when a woman comes creeping in his room at night?"

"Bastard," she spat "You know I just wanted to know what the hell is the matter with you."

"Right." His head dipped down quickly, and sucked the blood from her bottom lip. She jerked from him quickly, and struggled from his hold. His arms didn't drop from her waist. Ignoring her struggles and swears; he picked her up quickly, and tossed her carefully on the bed. "Get some sleep," he muttered at her shock face. She blinked. Wasn't he going to jump her? Wasn't he going to rip her cloths to shreds?

At her confused look, Inuyasha smiled. "Expecting me?"

Her face flushed with anger and embarrassment. "Disgusting."

His smile widened. "If you want me that badly, Kagome, all you need to do is ask." He stalked up the bed, his eyes gleaming with a golden light. Kagome watched him cautiously. He stopped, crouched on all fours by her legs. "You want me, Kagome?"

She narrowed her gaze. "You just told me to go to sleep. The only thing I want is to see the back of my eyelids."

He shook his head slowly, as he continued to approach her. "True. You do need your sleep." He crawled over her, straddling her hips as he pushed her head down towards the pillow. "Go to sleep."

"I will. In my own room."

"Here." He leaned in closer to her, their noses almost touching. "Sleep."

"If I'm sleeping in here, I'm not tired," she told him defiantly.

He growled at her slightly. He sighed. Sticking his nose in the curve of her neck once again, nuzzling her gently. "You're so tired, but you won't admit it. You were scared shitless out in that hallway."

"I wasn't."

"Don't bother to lie. I smelled fear all over you."

Her eyes closed slightly, getting heavy. He nipped her neck gently, running his tongue over the abused flesh. She shuddered lightly, slowly drifting off to sleep. He pulled back slowly when he heard her even breathing. Planting a light kiss to her forehead, he rolled away from her, resuming his position by the window. Breathing in the night air, he blew out a frustrated breath. Running a clawed hand through his hair, he replayed what took place earlier.

He should have known this would have happened. He _knew_ it was going to happen. But after all of these years, the pain still felt fresh, like it only happened yesterday. As soon as he'd gotten off of that plane, he knew that the past really did come back to bite you in the ass. And to top it all off, he had to stay in this mansion. This creepy mansion. As soon as he had stepped in, he knew something was terribly wrong. The very air that was in the mansion was, stagnant, unmoving. It seemed to press on him like weights. He knew for sure that Miroku and Sango had felt it too, even Kagome.

Even that wasn't the most pressing issue. It was the owner of the mansion that had his insides rattling. The man just seemed so…sinister under that pretty face. And Inuyasha wasn't fooled for a second. With his caustic remarks about his friends, he shouldn't have hesitated to rip his fucking head off. And those eyes of his. They were so gray and deep. He hated them. They were so familiar…he could have sworn he'd seen it before. But he didn't know where. Was it even possible…and did he know? Did he know that he was here before…? That too, was impossible. But his very scent and presence was familiar, and he needed to find out why that was.

He shook his head, "Sir Coutrage…who the hell are you?"

End When the Darkness Howls (For now.)

Sorry I took so long with the update. But you know, school does tend to hold you up.

_Translations_

_**Note: **If there are any problems with the translations, please excuse me. I know there are probably some mistakes in there somewhere, so if there is, sorry about that._

**Welcome to Romania, slayers. I hope that your travel here was well. I would hate it for your first couple of hours here to be dreadful**-- Bun venit la spre Romania slayers. I hope that al tau calatorie aici was well. I trec.de la will hate it pentru al tau primul couple de ora aici were dreadful.

**Our ride here was fine--** Our plimbare aici was fin.

**You speak the language very well. I would have thought that you have forgotten how to**--Tu speak art.hot. limbaj foarte well. I trec.de la will have thought that tu ai forgotten cum la spre.

**What are you implying?—** Ce esti tu implying?

**You must be Inuyasha. Myoga has old me about your temper tantrums. Nothing I wont be able to handle---** Tu mustata a fi Inuyasha. Myoga has told eu despre al tau temperat tantrums. Nothing I wont a fi capabil la spre miner.

**What a loud one, she is. She must be…Sango, I presume**-- Ce un loud unul , ea este. Ea mustata a fi Cintat I presume.

**A Monk? Interesting**-- UN Monk? Interesant

**And she is…?--**Si ea este.?

**A little overprotective, are we?--** UN deget mic overprotective , esti noi?

**And to a human, no less…well, its not surprising…--** Si la spre un human , nu mai mic. well , sau nu surprising.

**You mean to tell me that Myoga has sent your friends here without knowledge of the Romanian language?--** Tu mean la spre spune-mi cum that Myoga has trimis al tau prieten aici fara knowledge de la Roman limbaj?

**The monk seems to be the only decently mannered one--** Art.hot. monk seems la spre a fi art.hot. unic decently mannered unul.

**As you wish**-- As tu dorinta


	5. LEARNING TO SURVIVE

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor do I own the Inuyasha characters and storyline.**_

_QUOTE OF THE CHAPTER:_

**"Throughout the centuries we have projected on to the wolf the qualities we most despise and fear in ourselves."  
Barry Lopez  
**

**_WHEN THE DARKNESS HOWLS_**

CHAPTER 5: HOW TO SURVIVE

_He was going to die…._

_How long would he be able to go on? How long would it be before he was caught and had his poor, small, little body tortured until there was nothing left? Would he forever be running, trying to escape the world of death and blood? Would his life ever be the same again? As he ran on, none of these thoughts seemed to be running through his head. He only had one thought: Survive._

_He didn't know how long he had been running, he didn't know how long it would be before they caught up. His legs ached with a ferocity; his throat was dry and burning with lack of water. Chest heaving in and out heavily with every struggling breath, small, clawed hands clutching the item in his hands, cheek bleeding and throbbing, he ran on._

_He could imagine them now. Their sharp fangs, protruding from their mouths, ready, hungry, and waiting for the taste of his flesh…_

_He gave a loud, startling cry into the darkness, stumbling and loosing his balance. He fell, face hitting the lumpy floor. The item clutched in his fingers was flung from his grasp…_

_And then, suddenly, everything was turning black, as if the darkness was sinking into itself. He tried to move, he tried to lift his hands, claws ready to kill, to fight for his life-to survive. And just when he thought he could fight, just when he thought his feeble attempts could save him for a few more moments, his determination was sucked from him as if his lungs were being squeezed. _

_His small eyes widened with terror, his whole body shook with fright, and a loud, frightened cry was ripped from his mouth. 'Move', he told himself. 'Move and run away!' But he was so frozen with fear, his body merely twitched. "Please…" he pleaded, "I didn't do anything…"_

_It only stared at him. Stared at him as if not understanding that he was pleading, that he was giving up and didn't want to fight. Would he be killed because he was being weak? Would long, ragged claws be used to tear his flesh apart because he showed no honor, but only cowered and pleaded for his life?_

"_Please…don't hurt me! I didn't do anything…I didn't do anything…" _

_What would his father think of him? Surely he would have looked down on him with disgrace. Disgraced by the fact that his son didn't even try to defend himself. His father told him not to cry; to be strong and fight. To survive…to survive… 'I'm sorry…I'm sorry…' he screamed in his head. 'Papa, please forgive me-please!'_

"…_I'm just trying to leave...I'm just trying to escape…" he cried._

_He knew, somewhere in the back of his head, there would be no mercy. If his mother survived, would she cry over his broken and eaten body? Would she hold him in a bloody heap and bawl until she was dragged away to a death of her own? She told him that she would come for him. She told him to run and she would find him. 'Where are you, mama?' he thought. 'Where did you go?'_

_But, as if the giant, black wolf knew no mercy, it suddenly pounced; it's long, sharp teeth gleaming in the moonlight. The boy howled, his voice echoing for miles. The fangs of the werewolf, dripping with hunger, were the last things the young boy saw before everything went black…_

'_Where are you, mama? Where did you go…?'_

_The thought of his mother not finding him, the thought of her wondering for years what happened to him, wondering if he survived…the thought of him breaking his promise and not waiting for her…that killed him the most…_

_**I'm sorry, mama, I'm so sorry…**_

…the feeling of something firm on his shoulder was slowly bringing him back to reality. He couldn't quite grasp it; the sudden change of surroundings had his head swarming, his body shuddering…and the shaking of his shoulder wasn't helping at all. With a sudden lurch, the images reappeared in his head, and once again, he was reliving the terrifying feeling of those sharp canines so close to his face…

Then, he was sitting upright, his strong, clawed hand grabbing the disturbance on his shoulder, holding it with a death grip. His other hand shot out and latched on to the closest thing he could find-which felt suspiciously like a long, smooth, surprisingly firm and familiar leg. The room still swam, his head suddenly ached, and he was sure he heard a small, startled gasp. Movement in his hand caused him to remember what had caused him to wake, and, clutching it tighter, he let loose a vicious growl.

"In…Inuyasha…"

He stopped, feeling something deliciously cool touch his sweaty forehead, and he jerked back, surprised. He uttered another growl- this time, though, it was less angry, and more confused. He then realized what he was clutching was someone's hand. His hold tightened even more, not wanting to let go. That cool feeling touched his head again, more hesitant. He didn't move this time.

It felt as if his head was about to explode; he could feel the blood pumping, his temple throbbing painfully…he gave an annoyed growl when the cool feeling left his head momentarily.

"Oh, stop growling, all ready," a voice said. He jumped; surprised at it being so close…he knew that voice. "You've growled enough already."

"K-Kagome?" he rasped.

He tried to blink away the blurriness from behind his eyes, tried to steady his ragged breathing, but he couldn't. Kagome's hand touched his shoulder again, pushing him back toward the bed. He felt the bed shift beside him, and could feel her hovering over him. "Well, at least you know my name." He couldn't ignore the sarcasm in her voice.

"Why wouldn't I remember your name, wench?" He couldn't resist.

"By the way you were trashing in bed, I would have thought I was an enemy about to be cut in half. It's a miracle that I'm not minced meat by now." She felt him stiffen, felt how his grip on her leg became tighter, saw the way his ears flattened on top of his head, and knew she'd said the wrong thing. "But you didn't," she reassured him quickly. "I'm fine."

The grip on her leg only tightened, and a small whine tumbled from his barely parted lips. "…if you're lying…"

"I'm not!" she snapped, pissed by the fact he was worried about her well being, when in turn, she was worried sick about him. It had seemed she had only just laid her head down when she suddenly felt the disturbance next to her on the bed. Tired, and thinking Inuyasha was trying to play one of his sly, perverted little tricks, she turned the small lamp on beside the bed, then turned around, ready to berate him for his nasty little actions. But when she did, she was both surprised and shocked at what she saw. Inuyasha was tossing, turning, and writhing in his sleep. With his claws slashing wildly, and the fine sheen of sweat covering his face and neck, Kagome's only reaction was to panic.

She tried to call his name, doing her best to wake him from his fitful state, but she failed at that. Next, she tried to latch onto one of his swinging arms, intent on calming him down somewhat, but the result was only a near death experience. With no thoughts on how to calm him down, and the steady panic growing in her chest, she crept from the bed to the bathroom. There, she gathered a rag, soaked it with cold water, and was able to brace herself against his shoulder-while dodging his claws-and slapped the cold, dribbling rag to his forehead.

Now…now she looked down at him, still dazed, breathing just returning to its normal rate, and she had to wonder… _'What the hell was that all about?' _

"Do you mind not hovering over me like that, Bitch? It's aggravating. I'm not a fucking cub that needs its mother." His tone was the usual snappish speech he used with her.

She bristled at once. "Well, excuse me for making sure you were all right! You damn moron! Next time the Boogie-Man decides to take a U-turn into your dreams, you better beat him your damn self, then!" Shifting over so that she gave him plenty of space, Kagome angrily huddled on her side of the bed, her body resting at the tip of the mattress. She was so angry at him! _He_ was the one to wake her up because he had a fucking nightmare. _He_ was the one that was thrashing about like a damn lunatic without medication. And, _she_ was the one that got up to get him something cool to put on his head so he would calm down. He was the one that scared _her_ half to death by the way he was whimpering, and moving-as if being attacked. And the words that she'd heard rushing from his lips had nearly undone her. And now, he was the one giving_ her_ orders in that snappish tone of his! _'Bastard!'_

Heart thudding fast in her chest, body curled up on her side, she laid there, her eyes tightly closed against the intrusion of the lamp light she stupidly forgot to turn off in her sudden fit of anger. But that's not what plagued her the most. It was the fact that for that first second she saw him-writhing, whimpering-she had thought the worst, and she was angry that he, this stupid hulk of a wolf, could make her feel such _fear_. Yanking the thin spread sheet from the bed over her head, Kagome hid her face as the familiar feeling of tears threatened to overcome her. _'Stupid, stupid, fucking asshole.'_

Inuyasha remained frozen; still slightly disoriented by his nightmare, and the sudden negative and sad feelings from Kagome. What the hell had he done now? What was he possibly able to do after what she just saw? Not able to ignore her sudden change in attitude, Inuyasha sighed and sat up in the bed. Blinking his eyes, his vision coming back in blotches, he was finally able to see clearly again. The now lukewarm rag that was on his forehead slid down his face to land with a small, soggy, _thump. _

He turned in Kagome's direction, taking in her huddled form under the thin sheet. "Hey, woman, what did I do this time?" When he received no answer, he sighed, a clawed hand reaching outward.

"Don't fucking touch me."

The hand-still mid way to its destination-stopped dead at her caustic tone. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Bitch!" He hadn't meant for his voice to turn so violent, but with her mysterious attitude toward him, and the sad smell radiating off of her, he knew something was wrong-and he wanted to know what it was. Still, he received no reaction; the ball of flesh only curled tighter into itself. Narrowing his gaze, Inuyasha snapped into action. Tearing the sheet from her body with an angry growl, Inuyasha quickly scooted over to her side of the bed.

Startled, Kagome held on to the other side of the sheet. "Let go, you damn fool!" she snapped. Her face was rigid, and in the dim light the small lamp had to offer, the shadows cast on her face made her look all the more angrier, as well as dangerous.

Inuyasha yanked the sheet. "Tell me what's the matter with you, and maybe I will let go." His voice was a low rumble.

Kagome yanked on the sheet again. "I'm not kidding around, Inuyasha. Your pitiful whimpering woke me up, and I'd like to get some sleep before the sun comes up." Another yank. "Let go."

"I was not whimpering!" he snarled. And suddenly…suddenly he felt ashamed for allowing her to see him in such a vulnerable state. He was supposed to be strong, but yet…not long ago, he was reduced to a snarling beast that…was scared of nothing but a silly, long forgotten nightmare.

"Oh, you were whimpering all right," Kagome continued, seeing she hit a sore spot. She gave up her grip on the sheet, but that same hand pointed a perfectly manicure index finger in his direction-which was now very close by. "You were whimpering like a damn baby. I can't believe I was actually worried about you, and then you have the nerve to tell me not to hover over you! You're an asshole, Inuyasha!"

"I was not whimpering. I don't whimper!" It was the only thing he was able to say-lame, though it was. _'She…she was worried_ _about me...?'_ He winced. Of course she was. He would have been worried about her too, if she had awoken in such a state. "Kag-"

"Shut it!" she snapped. She ripped the sheet from his hands, turned the lamp off, once again engulfing the room in darkness, and practically slammed her head against the pillow, completely ignoring Inuyasha. This time, though, she hadn't even bothered to turn away from him. Seconds passed, and she could still feel him there, hovering over her, much like she did to him moments before. She had half a mind to tell him stop hovering over her, but decided that speaking would be giving him attention he didn't deserve. So she ignored him…to the best of her ability, that is.

Apparently, cutting him off when he was about to speak wasn't a god move. She could feel his presence; his anger building to such an extent she feared was actually going to snap. Not really wanting to, she half opened one of her eyes to observe him in the dark. Surprised, she was able to make out the outline of his shape against the darkness, as well as the deep scowl on his face. Not thinking about how she was able to see in such darkness, she snapped her eyes closed again.

It seemed like an eternity before she heard the bed shift and felt him settle down-though closer to her than she would have liked. He was so close; in fact, she could feel his breathing on her face. Trying to be subtle, she scooted further away from him, clutching the sheet and bringing it along with her.

"Move any further and you'll fall off the bed."

His voice stopped her. He was right, of course. In her fetal position, her feet were dangling over the edge of the bed, along with her rear end. "What do you care if I fall off? It's not like you care about anyone but yourself." She huffed. A strong arm reached from the darkness and wrapped around her waist, dragging her from the edge of the bed. She let loose a small squeak when she felt the front of her body being pressed flush against a hard, warm chest.

"Why don't you stop trying to insult me and get some sleep?" He finished off his words with a sharp nip to her ear.

She jumped at the contact. "I have a right to insult you." Her voice was oddly calm. She didn't even bother to try and fight out of his grip.

"And why is that?" he asked her, his arm still around her.

"Because you are a jackass. But I thought you already knew that." Focusing her gaze on his face, she could still make him out his features in the dark.

"…"

She smirked. "Ah, nothing to say to that, huh? Whimpering idiot."

His grip tightened around her. "I don't do that. I'm not like you weak humans," he growled.

"You try to control everything around you, and when people try to help you, you snap at them like they're the ones who did something wrong." Now she started to shift from his hold. Sitting up, she glared at him in the darkness as he to, sat up. "You try to think you're so invincible-denying the fact that you too, are human. 'I don't whimper,' you say. Well, I heard enough tonight to think otherwise, Inuyasha Lan'dure."

"You don't know anything!" he snarled. The volume of his voice was so violent and sudden, that she jumped in fright. She felt stupid having an argument with him in the dark. Reaching over, she turned the lamp back on. Giving him her attention, she saw him leaning against the headboard with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at her. His eyes were flickering between black and gold….

"If I don't know anything, then tell me." Her eyes narrowed. "You say that I'm your fucking _Bitch_, right?" His eyebrows rose at her choice of words. She knew she would get somewhere with this-she had to. "Well, if I'm your Bitch, then you have the right to know everything about me-"

"Damn straight!"

"-and I have the right to know everything about you, too!" She could practically see the wheels turning in his fluffy head. She knew she had hit something with that. What would he have in reply? Her eyebrows furrowed in thought. Actually, if she and he never were to have that argument, she probably wouldn't have thought of this new revelation. Kagome tried to hide her glee at getting some information out of him. "Well?" she asked, after a while of silence.

"I'm…thinking…" was his reply.

"You shouldn't have to think!" she snapped. "I'm your Bitch, and I demand to know what the heck is going on in that head of yours! Why can you speak Romanian? Why did that ugly butler call you 'lord'? And…what did you and Sir Coutrage say to each-"

Inuyasha lunged across the bed. With his claws reached out in front of him, a vicious smirk on his face, burning golden eyes, he grabbed her shoulders and pinned her beneath him on the bed, straddling her waist.

"You always do that!" she growled, beating on his chest with her fist. _"You always do that!"_

Inuyasha grabbed her face roughly between his big hands, getting her attention. Leaning down so close, that his lips purposely brushed against hers, he growled, two words. "Be. Quiet." He watched, his male pride rising when her mouth closed, and the small shifting of her scent reached his nose. He smirked down at her, fangs gleaming in the partial light of the room. "You're just admitting to being my Bitch because you want to be nosy." He paused, examining her cold eyes watching him.

"Alright, so you caught me, big damn deal. You still haven't answered my question."

"Why do you want to know so badly?" he asked.

"Call it general curiosity. That's all."

"I see." He leaned away from her slightly, letting go of her face. "But remember…curiosity killed the cat…"

"Do I look like a fucking cat?" she asked, wiggling beneath him.

He leaned in close again, his tongue connecting with her neck. "I wouldn't move if I were you…I haven't had you in a long time; you wouldn't want me to get any ideas, now, would you?"

Kagome stopped her wiggling immediately, her eyes wide and face flushed with humiliation. "You…damn…!" She had nothing to say.

He nodded, as if answering his one question. "I see you're tongue-tied. My face does that to a lot of people. No worry, though. The effects tend to wear off in a few weeks."

Kagome stared at him as if she'd never seen him before. "Your head is inflated, you know that, right?"

"…" He rolled off of her suddenly, his strong hands grabbing her waist and bringing her along with him. Once he was settled on his back, with Kagome sprawled on top of him, he said, "If I answer, you have to stop bothering me about it."

"What?" It took Kagome a second to realize what he was talking about. With her breast smashed against Inuyasha's muscled chest, she was momentarily distracted_. 'Why does his chest feel so…warm?'_ The steady beat of Inuyasha's heart, the feel of his arms holding her so close, and the feel of his thumb that was absently stroking her lower back was enough to make her unconsciously shift closer to him, her face finding the side of his neck and resting there.

"Kagome…?"

When it registered in her mind, she suddenly smirked; happy that she finally broke him into telling her what was going on. Her mind shifted from the feel of Inuyasha's body beneath hers, but it was still there, swirling around in the back of her mind, not allowing her to forget. Placing her hands palm down on his chest, she pushed herself up, leaning on her side by Inuyasha. She looked down at him, apprehension in her eyes, and a smirk still on her face. "Oh, yes, continue."

"Don't look at me like that," Inuyasha growled, shifting so that his arm rested at her waist. When she didn't seem to notice the new contact, he mentally smirked.

"Like what?" Kagome questioned.

"Like you've just won the next world war."

She rolled her eyes. She playfully yanked one of his ears. "Tell me," she demanded.

His eyes slid past her face to stare at the ceiling. His dark eyes turned haunted and unfocused and the hand on her waist stopped its movement. There was a long pause before he said anything at all. Kagome thought she would have to yank on his ear again. "There's not much to tell, really." His hands on her waist continued their movement, slowly sliding from her waist to her upper thigh, and then back up again. Kagome noticed the movement, but she didn't stop it, in fear of interrupting him. "…the only thing that needs to be said is that I grew up in Romania…I was _born _in Romania." His voice was bitter, angry-sad, but at what?

He continued: "When I was a kid, there was an accident involving my parents and I had to leave. When I… when I moved from Romania, I traveled a lot. I was young when the accident happened, so of course I had surroget parents to take care of me. We never stayed in one place for too long, though-guess we just couldn't stick to one surrounding area for a certain amount of time. When I was old enough, I left on my own…" He drifted off, and Kagome knew he was finished. He took a deep, rattling breath, turned to face her slowly and said, "So you see, Kagome? You were being a nosy Bitch for no reason at all. My story wasn't all that important, was it?"

"So you were-? You can-?" She seemed to be at a lost for words. She wanted to ask for more details about his parents, but she didn't want to push her luck. Though his story wasn't much, for Inuyasha, it was a lot. "Why did you want to keep that a secret, Inuyasha? It's no big deal."

He snorted, the hand on her thigh gripping her flesh tightly, his claws flexing against her skin. Again, Kagome did nothing to remove his hand. "Maybe I don't like going around telling my personal business, Kagome. Ever think about that?"

"You still haven't answered one of my questions. Why did Jaken call you 'lord'?"

He sighed. "My father was a very respectable and influential man here in Romania. Jaken must have traced me back to him by my last name. Myoga must have given Sir Coutrage information on us; that's why he knew our names so quickly."

Kagome raised her eyebrow. "Why did-?"

"You're asking too much questions again," he growled. Pulling her flush against his side, he slowly rolled on top of her, deliberately pressing the weight of his body against her. He moved so slowly, he almost seemed hesitant, but still held confidence in his movements. Settling between her legs, he pressed against her harder, wanting to feel the warmth of her body seep into his skin.

Kagome exhaled deeply. "But…but…?" she asked, wondering why she wasn't shoving him away from her. She wondered why his body was so unbelievably warm. Why was he moving so slowly? Why were his eyes so hard and guarded, so unreadable? And why,_ why_ was her body arching up to meet his? It was as if he wanted to crush her with his body weight, but he was doing it so pleasurably.

"But what, Kagome?" he breathed. His mouth was pressed against her cheek, nuzzling her skin. One of his hands slipped under her night shirt, caressing her skin. He didn't want to finish answering her questions. He just wanted to lay on top of her and kiss her pants off. He wanted to drink in her scent, taste her skin, and touch her hair…he wanted to forget his horrible nightmare. He wanted to escape his past. And Kagome was able to help him do that, but not if she was playing the detective role.

"What about Sir Coutrage? Why did you yell at him like that?"

He nipped her earlobe sharply, showing his disapproval of the topic. She gasped at the contact and he growled deeply. "Because he wasn't minding his own fucking business!" Inuyasha snarled. He wanted her to stop talking

Her hand came up to gently flick on of his ears. The appendage jerked away instantly. Kagome did her best not to giggle. All thought flew from her head as Inuyasha's fangs pinched against her skin. She gave a small yelp, her hands reaching up to dig into his shoulders in surprised. "Inuyasha-? Ah!" His fangs pressed harder on her neck, and Kagome's eyes rolled back in her head.

He pulled back slowly, licking his lips, staring down at her. He could feel her whole body quivering beneath him, and he growled low, ready to make her quiver some more. With his body still pressed so close to hers, he leaned down, his lips skimming her face. "I want you…" he groaned. "I want you right fucking now." He brought his hand from under her shirt to wrap gently around her neck. Running a claw down her throat, he wasn't at all surprised when she jerked her head away.

Her hands twitched on his shoulders, and her breath quickened. "Inuyasha…what the hell was that?" she asked, confused as hell at what she felt when his hand touched her neck. He didn't answer her. Instead, he did it again, and this time, she fell silent, staring up at him with wide eyes.

Inuyasha's eyes filled with male pride. "The mark is working," he whispered.

"What?" she questioned. It felt as if her body was slowly begun to heat up.

He smirked down at her. "The second mark is working. You're supposed to feel this way. Don't worry."

Kagome pushed against his shoulders slightly, her eyes narrowing. "And what exactly am I feeling?"

"Changes," he answered, bluntly. "You're not pushing me away, Kagome." He pressed closer to her, if possible, his rough claws running across her sides. "See? That's the mark." His grin widened at the look of oncoming horror on Kagome's face. "Soon, your body won't even _think_ about resisting me." He licked her chin. "The third mark needs to be followed sometime after the second. _Sometime soon_."

Kagome suddenly started to sputter in anger. "You-! I can't believe this shit! Move-get off of me-now!" she shrieked. Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head, but he moved none the less, instantly missing the way her body curved under his. He had expected her to react like this, after all. He just decided to tell her now, since things were being put out in the open. He backed up to the other side of the bed, face impassive, ears still flattened, and fingers itching to be wrapped around that slender neck of hers.

"You can see better because of the mark. Maybe even smell better, too. I'm not sure on that one; it could come later on," he explained, watching her closely.

Kagome rose slowly from her position, sitting up. Inuyasha wasn't sure if she shook so violently from rage, embarrassment, or the way she reacted to his fangs. He thought she would yell at him, throw something at him. His body even tensed for her to attack. If she did, he was ready to flip her over on her back and take her, arms hitting him in defense and mouth snarling in anger. It wouldn't be like he'd never done it before. It wouldn't be like she wouldn't enjoy it.

But instead of doing anything of that nature, she turned to him slowly, her eyes deep and serious. "Inuyasha."

His eyes brows rose for her to continue. _'Here it comes…'_

"Inuyasha. Do you have anything else to tell me about your past? Are you hiding anything else from me?" And immediately, she saw the haunted look in his eyes. It flickered in his gaze for but an instant, before it was gone completely, no evidence of it being there. She watched the way his face turned slack, expressionless and cool, as if he was taking everything in stride. This time, when she asked him, it wasn't because she was nosy and she simply wanted to know. She knew it ran more serious than he put on. The topic was something unsettling for him, and if it haunted him so much to cause nightmares, it must be serious. And she was willing to put aside her anger at him about the mark for the moment, to talk with him. _'You don't have to lie, Inuyasha. You don't have to keep everything inside.'_

"No," was his reply.

Kagome sighed. She was kind of insulted by his answer. Didn't he know that she knew him better than that? Didn't he know that she could tell that he was holding back some kind of vital information? She had spent enough time with him to read him well enough, and this time, it was so painfully obvious, that she had to wonder if this big secret was clouding his mind. But yet…she let it go. Sighing softly, she shifted and turned off the light. She wasn't sure if she would be able to go back to sleep or not. She had wasted most of her night up with Inuyasha. "You should probably sleep," she mumbled to him through the darkness.

When she didn't feel him shift to lay down, she turned over on her other side to look at him. She was shocked to see a pair of golden eyes, glowing in the darkness. Her heart skipped a beat. _'Why are his eyes gold?'_ She didn't comment on it. "What now?" she asked, her voice unusually soft. He didn't answer. "Inuyasha, are you sure there is nothing left you want to tell me? To get off your chest?" _'One more try. If he doesn't tell me now, I'll let it go and allow him to tell me on his own time. I'll let it go.'_

She could see him reach over in the darkness, she could see his eyes settle on her form and move closer. When she felt his warm breath on his face, she closed her eyes briefly. Inuyasha suddenly kissed her; it was brief, but hard and demanding nonetheless. He pulled back. "Nothing, Kagome."

She went back to sleep.

Hours later, after Inuyasha lay in the bed without sleep, when he was sure Kagome wouldn't stir, and the sun was just passing over the hill, he rose from the bed and knelt beside it. After a long pause, he reached under the bed and retrieved the long, wooden box he put there prior. Resting it at the bottom the bed, he ran his hands over the smooth wood quickly. Kagome's words rang through his head.

"_Inuyasha, are you sure there is nothing left you want to tell me? To get off your chest?" _

"Nothing, Kagome. Nothing at all…."

When Kagome woke that morning, there was no box resting at the bottom of the bed, nor was there a kneeling Inuyasha running his fingers over a wooden box. There was only the early morning sun peeking through the expensive looking curtains over the window. For a while, she didn't move at all, wondering about everything that happened last night. Turning over, she was surprised to see that Inuyasha was still there-asleep.

Silently, she watched him. What mood would he be in when he woke up? Kagome inwardly snorted. She knew the answer to that question; she assumed he would instantly sink back into his daily facade and act as if nothing had happened. He would be the same Inuyasha--broody, snappish, conceited and perverted. She frowned suddenly. Or…would he do something unbelievable and be soft spoken? Would he pull her aside and tell her the things she knew he was hiding? Would he dip into the feeling of confusion like any other person would?

He wouldn't.

She knew he wouldn't. But it was fine to think he would. Besides, she could tell that he had already been through that. By the way his eyes had looked beyond while he told her his little secrets, she could tell there was some kind of deep emotion hiding behind the mask. She could sense the depth of pain stab through her chest like it was her own…

Her eyes focused on him again. Kagome always thought that he looked so relaxed in his sleep. So angelic and soft. It was in those few moments that he let his guard down and allowed himself some relaxation. In was in those times that his muscles loosened in relief, and he found comfort in the darkness. It was in those times, when she watched him sleep, black, velvet ears drooping in a cute way, dark hair fanning around his face, features so innocent…it was in those moments, that she knew she wouldn't be afraid of kissing him then. But now…now, even in sleep, he was being plagued by the dark, unrelenting secrets of his past.

'_Please…don't hurt me! I didn't do anything…I didn't do anything…'_

The words shot through her head like a speeding bullet. Was someone trying to get him-to hurt him? A sudden wave of anger pulsed through her body with such ferocity, that her eyes widened in surprise. _'Where the hell…did that come from?' _she asked herself. Sighing deeply, she sat up, the sheet that she played tug-or-war with him last night tangled around her body. Brushing the hair from her eyes, she untangled herself quickly and sat up, careful not to make too much movements or noise.

Bracing her elbows on her knees, she sighed deeply. This was so very unusual for her. Inuyasha always was the first to wake. Was he sleeping so long because of his dreams? She nodded to herself. Of course. It made perfect sense, didn't it? His nightmares had disrupted his sleep, and he was catching up. That was it. It had to be. But why did she feel that lingering sense of restlessness, as if something wasn't right. Burying her face in her hands, Kagome tried to hide the swell of emotion that was rising in her chest. She knew…she knew it was coming from Inuyasha.

'…_I'm just trying to leave...I'm just trying to escape…'_

She bit her lip, holding back a sob. She couldn't help it. How was it that this annoying man was able to cause her pain? To make her want to cry? It was so unfair…It was very rear to see her so distressed; and this was one of those rear moments. His voice sounded so raw with emotion last night. So real…so utterly terrifying….

"Don't…"

The words were so soft; she thought that they were not real. But when she felt a grip on her arm, pulling her hand away from her face, she knew that Inuyasha was awake. Sucking in a silent breath, she took a chance and glanced at him. His eyes were still closed and his whole body hadn't moved an inch. "Go shower," he whispered. "Breakfast starts soon."

She had nothing to say.

Getting up, she stalked off to the shower.

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End When The Darkness Howls (For Now.) 

**_A/N:_** I know: Nothing much happened here, huh? Sorry to all of my readers and reviewers with the delay. First, it was school that was slowing me down. I had finals. Don't you just hate them? Then, it was my computer that crashed, which was followed by an acute pain of laziness. Now that I have updated, maybe I will have another chapter out before the summer is over. (Which is likely possible.) Also, I have decided to move comments to reviews to the bottom of the chapter page. Feel free to mail me with any comments, questions, or complaints. Just remember to put the title of my story in the 'subject' section so I know what it's about. There are too many spam mail these days…

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**Phoenixburns,** **Shadowfoxdemon,** **Loulou4729-**_ Thank you for reviewing my story! _

**_Allthingsceltic aka Celtic- Thanks! I don't know why I thought of having the story take place in Romania. To be honest, it just popped into my head. Maybe it's because every time I hear a story about wolves, most of them take place in places like Romania and Transylvania, for instance, and other European places. But since Romania grabbed my interest the most, I choose that._**

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**_Nancey- Well, thank you for giving my story a chance. Was it really that scary that your son scared you half to death? Well, I guess my writing is better than I thought…_**

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**_Elementalobsession- Thanks for forgiving me for taking so long! Sorry about the wait and everything. I'm glad that my story has become one of your favorites; that makes me feel very good. Well, you wanted more and here it is!_**

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**_Allnaturalflavors- Thank you for calling me an amazing writer!_**

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**_Son Lila- To be truthful. Writing about the 'ugly old butler' was the best part of the chapter for me. I was laughing so much I was getting looks from my family. His ugly face sets the spooky scene. As a matter of fact, his face can scare just about anybody, so you know I had to include him! I had to make Kagome prepared to go out and fight the thing in the hallway. If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to look in the mirror anymore. That action lives up to Kagome's personality. It would be funny if she shot Jaken, but for now, he needs to stay alive. He has more purposes in the story…_**

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**_Chibi-Inu13- Many, many questions…and not a lot of answers. The reason Inuyasha is called 'lord' will be explained in this chapter. But, further along in the story, its meaning will become clearer. As for how Sir Coutrage knows Inuyasha, that can't be revealed yet-along with the item that Myoga sent to Inuyasha. These two things are going to be kept a secret until later on in the story. Way later on._**

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**_Jade pendant- I guess my descriptions are working if your hair is standing on end. Well, those hairs of yours can settle down now, because there is nothing scary in this You are right about the angry mob of readers after me. You should have seen how many e-mails I received! That's why I wanted to get this chapter out as soon as possible. Thank you for saying I have good character description. And about Kagome sounding sexy…my brother said that as well. _**

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_ Erika, Sssc, devoureddarkness, Forsaken13, Runningfears, LoserificLoser13, Caliste07, Lady of Imladris, Fireflywritter, Hands Off the Inu, CHISATO, Agent-Doo, Gray Hoody, Kagomesdance, Sexy Yokai, Amadriel Sawa triquetra, and Dark Padme- Thank you for reviewing my story!_

_**Angel-Tears-16- She'll get her notebook back, alright. But that story is on hold for now…but when I get back to it, which I don't know when; I'll explain all that I can.**_

**_SexyYoukaiBitch- Please don't kill me! No, I didn't give up. Just a late update. As an answer to your question, yes, Kagome will eventually give up and love Inuyasha. The truth is she loves him now; it's just that she denies it. Their relationship is very complicated. Oh, and about Inuyasha's rough, sexual actions…it's a wolf thing…_**

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**_ArtemisMoon- I know about the spelling and grammar. I'm trying to work on it and stuff, but it happens in good time. Thank you for all of the compliments. You know, I've noticed a lot of people complimenting me on my descriptions, and it's really blowing me away._**

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**_Munak Melanie- Oh, my…goodness. You called me on of the best Inuyasha fan fiction writers out there! I think I feel a tear coming on. Even though I wouldn't really call myself that, hearing it from someone else makes it feel all the better._**


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